Meet Denver

Denver loves basketball. He loves to sing and dance. If he’s given the chance to run and play, he’ll jump in with both feet — literally. If you didn’t know about the scar on his chest, you’d never imagine that he had a heart transplant.

His mother, Christina Rolston, doesn’t take any of that for granted. When she was six months pregnant, a routine ultrasound revealed that her baby had hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The left side of Denver’s heart was underdeveloped, forcing the right side to work overtime to pump blood to his brain and the rest of his body. This is a serious condition that can sometimes be corrected with surgery and medication, but many babies with hypoplastic left heart syndrome need a heart transplant.

Denver was born August 2, 2023, and transferred to Nationwide Children’s Hospital immediately after birth. He underwent his first open heart surgery just five days later. Then, on February 14, 2024, he had a Bidirectional Glenn procedure, a surgery which reroutes blood from the upper body to the lungs, reducing stress on the heart. He recovered well and had a great summer. Christina began to hope that Denver was one of the lucky ones and wouldn’t need a heart transplant, after all.

But in September 2024 he was diagnosed with heart failure. After several rounds of medication, his condition did not improve. Denver was admitted to the hospital to wait for a heart transplant.

To support him while he waited for a donor heart, he received a ventricular assist device. This artificial heart allowed Denver to eat, play and move around like a toddler should and ensured that his body would be in excellent condition for his transplant surgery. Denver went from a quiet, reserved baby to an active one who loved to laugh.

Finally, the long-awaited moment arrived. On September 18, 2025, 2-year-old Denver received his heart transplant. Although he needed another inpatient stay to treat rejection symptoms and refine his medications, Denver has recovered well. He is currently in preschool and making new friends.

Christina couldn’t be more grateful. Not only did Nationwide Children’s keep Denver alive and give him a second chance at life, but the doctors and nurses also “gave us moments and memories that were worth living for,” she said. From a Mother’s Day picnic on the hospital’s front lawn to a special visit from Santa, from hallway baseball to enjoying the swings on the rehab floor, Denver got to be a kid even while hospitalized. “I truly feel like the staff is personally invested in our outcomes,” Christina said. “It’s really brave the way they choose to love not only us but all their kids, knowing better than most what they stand to lose.”

This holiday, you can support kids like Denver. Give to Light Up the Lawn, Light Up a Life and help families find a little brightness in the season.