Help Colter come home safe and strong

Colter entered the world already fighting for every heartbeat. He was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), a severe congenital condition in which the left ventricle—the chamber that should pump oxygen-rich blood through his body—did not develop.

Instead of spending these first months peacefully at home, his tiny body has faced hospital rooms, monitors, oxygen checks and major surgery. His parents, Daniel and Kiana, have had to watch their baby endure things no child should ever have to understand.

Colter has made it through one enormous battle, but his fight is not over. His family says he is now waiting for another major heart surgery. His oxygen levels and heart rate have returned to normal, giving them precious hope, yet the next operation still stands between this baby and the chance to grow stronger at home.

A hospital stay does not pause the rest of life. While Daniel and Kiana remain close to Colter, the mortgage, insurance, fuel and everyday household costs continue to arrive. They are also trying to prepare his nursery, make essential home repairs and provide everything he will need when doctors finally say he can leave the hospital.

Even feeding their baby safely has become another worry. The family stores a large supply of breast milk for Colter, but their refrigerator has repeatedly stopped working. They urgently need a dedicated chest freezer so the milk his body depends on is not lost, and they may also need to replace the refrigerator if the problem continues.

No parent should have to choose between sitting beside a baby before heart surgery and earning enough to keep that baby's home secure. Daniel and Kiana did not expect to ask strangers for help, but the weight of prolonged hospital care has become too much for one family to carry alone.

A donation today helps keep their mortgage and insurance paid, puts fuel in the car for hospital journeys, protects Colter's milk supply and prepares a safe nursery for the day he can finally come home. It gives his parents room to focus on the one thing that matters most: helping their son survive and heal.

Colter has only half a heart, but he is surrounded by people willing to fight for all of it. Please donate if you can. If you cannot, share his story so the next person sees the baby behind the hospital wires and helps carry him toward his next heartbeat, his next surgery and his first safe night at home.

— Daniel and Kiana Rowell, Colter's parents