Five-year-old Elizabeth Bonacci of Louisiana should be spending her days playing with friends, loving on her family, talking about God, and dreaming about unicorns. Instead, she has spent much of her childhood battling a disease most adults have never even heard of.
At just 2 years old, Elizabeth had her first pancreatitis attack. Since then, she has suffered through pancreatitis 13 times, undergone 3 MRCPs, 2 ERCP procedures, and seen 3 different doctors searching for answers. In 2023, she was diagnosed with pancreas divisum and chronic pancreatitis — a painful condition that causes constant inflammation and damage to her pancreas.
Elizabeth lives with chronic pain every single day, never knowing when the next flare-up or hospitalization will happen. One moment she can be smiling and playing, and the next she is doubled over in pain.
Now, after years of procedures and hospital stays, Elizabeth is preparing for a life-changing surgery called a TPIAT (Total Pancreatectomy with Islet Auto Transplantation). During this major surgery, doctors will remove her pancreas to stop the painful pancreatitis attacks. They will then take the insulin-producing islet cells from her pancreas and transplant them into her liver in hopes they continue working there.
This surgery gives Elizabeth hope for a future with less pain and more opportunities to simply be a little girl again.
But the road ahead is long, overwhelming, and expensive — and we need your help. Every donation, share, and prayer means the world to Elizabeth and her family as they prepare for this journey, which will take the Bonacci’s to Ohio where the pediatric pancreatic specialists are located. Relocating the family of 5 for the duration of Elizabeth’s pre-op and recovery time, possibly longer due to follow up appointments, is a daunting task. We can make the burden lighter.
Please help us support this sweet little girl as she fights for a chance at a healthier, pain-free life. ❤️
