December 1, 2025 — December is the month when many families focus on gifts. For an Illinois transplant family, December is the month to celebrate the ultimate gift — the gift of life. Lindsey and Zach Olson are stepping into December focusing on their son’s eighth birthday later this month while continuing to remember his donor angel who gave their family the greatest gift three years ago on October 27th. They are excited to watch him, and his big brother, enjoy the sights and sounds of the holiday season … all thanks to receiving a new heart and a second chance at life.
Lindsey will always remember the prenatal checkup she and Zach attended in late September 2017. They had a son at home and were anxious to add to their family once again. She was 26 weeks pregnant and her obstetrician had ordered the typical tests. But on that day, September 29th (acknowledged as World Heart Day), she and Zach heard unbelievable news. Their baby had a complicated heart condition known as CHD, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. They were told the baby, at some point, would need a heart transplant for long-term survival. It was not the news they were expecting to hear. Lindsey and Zach quickly learned there is no cure for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, but it can be corrected by doing a series of three palliative surgeries until the teenage years when, hopefully, the child would be able to accept an adult-sized heart.
They welcomed Levi in late December, and the baby had his first open heart surgery at six days old. They were relieved to hear the surgery had been successful; however, Levi went into cardiac arrest for 39 minutes until the pediatric cardiac team could place the baby on a heart lung bypass machine. Thankfully, all tests showed no brain damage. Levi spent the first seven weeks of his life in the hospital until he could finally be taken home to meet his big brother, Noah. Levi began to heal at home and was doing well until during his fourth month of life when he went into heart failure requiring the baby to have his second open heart surgery. He healed quickly and this time only spent 10 days inpatient.
The months and years following Levi’s second open heart surgery were basically hospital-free for the Olson family. Lindsey said he was a normal toddler who developed into a normal little boy. Levi loved going to school, playing sports and helping with yard work. During these years Levi found his obsession with riding anything fast — especially ATVs. According to Lindsey, Levi would have preferred to live outdoors and near a lake because he loved fishing. He had routine cardiology visits every few months, but he primarily lived a normal ‘little brother’ life. But the Olsons were keenly aware these days would not last forever.
At the end of April 2022, Levi underwent a transplant evaluation at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. The cardiology team told Lindsey and Zach they would soon need to list the four-year-old boy for a heart transplant. One of the meetings they attended at Lurie’s was with a transplant social worker who shared Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) information with them and suggested they might want to reach out and see how the organization could possibly reduce some of their stress. On May 6th, Lindsey sent a Get Started (COTAGetStarted.org) notification to COTA’s headquarters to learn more. Later that day, COTA’s Family Outreach Specialist placed a call to Lindsey. She shared Levi had private health insurance coverage, but she and her husband were concerned about co-pays, deductibles and insurance premium costs. The family lives 62 miles from Lurie Children’s, which is typically 90-minute drive with Chicago traffic. Travel, meals, lodging and parking would also be ongoing and costly expenses.
COTA uniquely understands that parents who care for a child or young adult before, during and after a life-saving transplant have enough to deal with; therefore, COTA’s model shifts the responsibility for fundraising to a team of trained volunteers. COTA is a 501(c)3 charity so all contributions are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law, and funds are available for a lifetime of transplant-related expenses.
On May 9, 2022, the family’s signed agreement arrived at COTA’s headquarters … Lindsey and Zach officially became part of the COTA Family, and Levi became a COTA Kid. In mid-June, a COTA fundraising specialist travelled to the Zion Lutheran Church in Marengo, Illinois, to train a group of volunteers so fundraising for the COTA for Lovin Levi campaign could begin immediately. The COTA staff member shared information about COTA’s fundraising process, fundraising templates, guidance and support, and the no-cost website they would be provided. The campaign website was immediately available for online donations to help with transplant-related expenses.
On June 14th, Lindsey posted on the COTA-provided website: Finally Listed! We got the phone call on Friday that Levi is finally on the transplant list. It seemed like a long time to get approval from all the specialists involved, but here we are. We have to be within three hours of Lurie at all times. It sounds like it’s a long shot to get a heart listed at his 1B status. You never know though. We hope and pray we’re one of the lucky ones who get a heart without being admitted. In the meantime, we are enjoying the start of summer and time together. Thank you so much for all the support with shirt sales, heart pins, donations to COTA for Lovin Levi, thoughts, prayers – all of it has been beyond generous. We could not be more thankful.
And on October 25th: Levi has a heart!!! It happened! THE call we have been waiting on happened this morning at 7:45 am! They have a heart for Levi! Please say a prayer for the donor family who made this sacrifice so Levi could have a second chance at life. I can’t imagine what they are going through. The surgery will take about 8-10 hours or longer. We will keep everyone updated on his progress.
On November 1st, Lindsey posted from Lurie: Thought I would share a cute conversation Levi and I had last night before he fell asleep. We knew he could not run as fast as other kids or play sports like Noah, but we have never really heard Levi express it to us. I had asked him if he was happy to have a new heart. His response was that he was happy he could run on the playground with his class at recess, that he could play baseball next summer and run all the bases really fast and that he could grow tall like Noah. It was a little heartbreaking to hear that Levi knew he could not do these things like the other kids … but that he’s excited to finally be able to do them now. This heart is really a second chance at life for him and we cannot wait to have a front row seat to it all. We are so blessed. Thank you all for the love and prayers sent our way.
While the Olsons were juggling Levi’s care in Chicago and working hard to make sure Noah was cared for in Marengo (including getting him to all of his sports and school activities), the COTA for Lovin Levi volunteers were steadily planning and orchestrating fundraising events. Their creativity and enthusiasm were amazing; these friends and family members were willing to do whatever was necessary to raise funds for transplant-related expenses. They hosted a highly successful 5K Color Fun Run/Walk/Kids Dash for COTA in honor of Lovin Levi that was well publicized and attended. There were numerous restaurant nights in and around Marengo and also a percentage night at a popular Marengo bar and grill that was a big success. Plus, there were many more COTA fundraisers that generated continued interest in the family’s transplant journey.
Levi had post-transplant challenges at Lurie Children’s, but Lindsey and Zach were overjoyed when they were able to bring him home to Marengo on December 6, 2022. Lindsey remembers those immediate post-transplant days of Levi’s ‘firsts,’ which never got old for their family to witness. Running up a flight of stairs at home without needing to take a break halfway up … riding his bike to the park … running all of the bases on the baseball field … and FINALLY being able to take ice hockey lessons — his number one bucket list item … a dream come true. That Christmas at home, together as a family of four, was the greatest gift Lindsey and Zach could imagine.
Today, three years post-transplant, looking at their soon-to-be eight-year-old boy amidst the sights and sounds of the holidays, Lindsey and Zach are very grateful for many things, including the gift of COTA.
“When you hear your child will need a transplant of any kind, after you get over the initial shock of the news, your mind starts digging into specifics. Medical bills and how they will be paid are big worries,” Lindsey said. “What a gift it is that our transplant center shared COTA’s information with us early on in the process. With COTA’s guidance and support, our fundraising team quickly got to work planning events and letting our community know we needed help.” These volunteers, and this community, came together to raise more than $70,000 for COTA.
“The blessing of COTA is that it allowed us to focus on Levi and his needs while friends and family focused on fundraisers for COTA and raising awareness of how COTA would help us,” Lindsey said. “Our little boy’s journey has never been easy; being able to concentrate on him and not worry about paying for meals, gas, lodging or the bills that were hitting our mailbox at home, was a huge blessing.”
She continued, “I am not sure what we would have done if we had not found COTA. Our family is very prideful; we do not like asking for help from others but this was so much bigger than we could handle on our own. COTA is a trusted 501(c) organization, which is important because it gives contributors peace of mind knowing all donations are used for transplant-related expenses. COTA is truly a gift.”
This December, the Olson household will be bursting with celebrations, including Levi’s 8th birthday, and lots of holiday joy. Being able to finally play ice hockey is a dream come true for Levi. His hope for the future? To play for the Chicago Blackhawks. For Lindsey and Zach watching him dream about a future while soaking up the season and enjoying all its trimmings is the only holiday gift they will need for many years to come.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Olson Family from your COTA Family!
