POSTED: Thursday, May. 20, 2010

Fairhaven music fest will raise money for girl's kidney transplant

BELLINGHAM - A day of live music and other events Saturday, May 22, will launch an effort to raise money for a 6-year-old Bellingham girl who is battling a kidney disease and needs a transplant.

The fundraising campaign for Olivia Cook is called LivFest, and its first event this weekend begins at 10:30 a.m. at Fairhaven Village Green.

Entry is free, and all the bands have volunteered their time. Most concessions will sell items to raise money for the girl, with 100 percent of the purchases going to Olivia's cause.

The event is intended as a "celebration of life and an opportunity to get the word out," said 30-year-old organizer Danica Kilander.

Money raised toward the effort to pay for Olivia's kidney transplant and related expenses will go into an account set up through the nonprofit Children's Organ Transplant Association.

The national charity helps communities raise money for patients who need transplants, which often can cost more than $500,000.

Olivia, who is the daughter of Bruce and Kimberly Cook, has been diagnosed with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease.

The rare genetic disorder occurs in about 1 in 20,000 children, according to the PKD Foundation, which supports research into polycystic kidney disease.

The disease caused cysts to form in both of Olivia's kidneys and also attacked her spleen and liver. That made it difficult for her body to filter impurities, according to a page created for her online at the Children's Organ Transplant Association

Kilander is a fitness trainer at Thrive Community Fitness in Ferndale, where Kimberly Cook works out.

She remembers meeting Olivia in the child-care area when the girl was 5 years old, but looked like she was 31/2.

"She's this tiny little angel sitting on a co-worker's lap," said Kilander, who lives in Bellingham. "And I just fell in love with her."

Eventually, Kimberly Cook would tell Kilander about her daughter's disease and efforts to find a donor. Olivia's father was the primary candidate, until he was diagnosed with two types of cancer. Her mother isn't medically eligible to donate now, according to Kilander.

"I just thought this is too much for one woman to carry," Kilander said.

So she offered to launch the fundraising campaign and then decided, after extensive research, to help the little girl by donating one of her own kidneys.

Kilander said the kidney transplant is set for July 14.

The chances of the two being a match were "so otherworldly," Kilander said.

"She's a miracle child and she brings these miracles with her," she said.

IF YOU GO

What: The debut of LivFest, an ongoing effort to raise money for Bellingham resident Olivia Cook, a 6-year-old girl who needs a kidney transplant.

When: 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 22.

Where: Fairhaven Village Green, 10th Street and Mill Avenue.

Events: music from BellaMaine, Buyani, The Dagwoods, Death by Radio, FHS Drum Line, Lucas Lee, Jason Quick, The Trutones, Rise N Shine, Umami, and War Cry. There also will be food, drawings, crafts and family fun.

Details: COTAforOliviaRC.com, livlifetoday@gmail.com or 393-9133. Donations can be made through the website or at the event.

Other events: Upcoming fundraisers are a wine tasting with auction and a masquerade ball with silent auction. Details are being finalized.