Local church members are working together with a national nonprofit to raise funds for a little girl facing a major diagnosis.

Lily Teeter, on the surface, seems like a typical 10-year-old. A family friend described her as a creative, active child who likes games, music, crafts, sports and spending time with her dogs and sister.

“On October 20, 2018, I’d guess Lily wasn’t thinking about too many big questions in life,” Dusty Nix posted online in January of this year. “… But, the next day, Lily would go to the Urgent Care because of a swollen belly. From there, she would be sent to the emergency room for blood work, a liver scan and a sonogram.”

Now, just more than four months later, Nix said Teeter has been diagnosed with type 2 autoimmune hepatitis, a disease in which the body attacks its own liver. According to a release from the Children’s Organ Transplant Association, Children’s of Alabama in Birmingham has recommended Teeter for a potentially lifesaving liver transplant.

“She was improving for a while there,” Nix told The News Courier on Tuesday. “They did a biopsy and some blood work, but she’s not where she can come off the list right now.”

To help cover the costs associated with a transplant and other necessary treatments, Teeter’s family reached out to COTA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that aims to help communities set up and promote fundraising events in honor of transplant patients like Teeter.

“People can have a lot of confidence when they give that it’s going to medical expenses and nothing else,” Nix said. “Jon and his wife (Teeter’s parents) cannot access the funds beyond providing the receipts, and that’s how they wanted it.”

Nix said he met the Teeter family through Sunday services at Capshaw Baptist Church. He described Teeter’s dad as an “up-and-up guy” who intentionally avoided traditional crowdfunding routes such as GoFundMe.

Nix serves as the public relations coordinator for the “COTA for Lily” campaign, while another church member, Terri Pruett, works as community coordinator. The current goal for the campaign is $30,000.

The campaign has four events set up so far to help reach its goal. The first is a T-shirt sale running from now until March 17. The shirts are in teal — Teeter’s favorite color, according to Nix — with the words “Never Lose Hope” in yellow letters across the front. Shirts are $15 each and can be purchased at https://neverlosehope.itemorder.com/sale.

From 2–5 p.m. March 24, Pruett’s Stable in Toney will host an introductory course for children interested in learning about horses and horse safety, grooming and riding. Participants must be at least 9 years old, have a signed waiver and wear closed-toe shoes to the event.

A minimum donation of $50 per child is suggested. To register, an email should be sent to pruett.terri@gmail.com with the child’s name, child’s age and parent’s name.

A second course, scheduled for 2–5 p.m. March 31, will be held at Gordon’s Stable. The minimum suggested donation for that event is $60 per child.

“We’ll probably do several restaurant fundraisers,” Nix said. “Panera Bread was generous enough to give us a night where people can come in with a flyer or image of a flyer and if they show (the Panera staff) that, 20 percent of profits will go to COTA for Lily.”

Nix said all told, they aim to continue the fundraising efforts for six to 12 months. Future events could require additional manpower, so those who may not be able to contribute financially can still register to participate as volunteers.

For more information on the events and the fundraising campaign, visit https://www.COTAforLily.com. Donations by check should be made payable to COTA with “In Honor of Lily” written on the memo line, then mailed to Children’s Organ Transplant Association, 2501 West COTA Drive, Bloomington, Indiana 47403.