When Monica and Jeremy Rannals prepared to welcome their second child, they carried both hope and fear. Their first pregnancy had brought them a beautiful daughter with Down syndrome, and though they cherished her deeply, the journey had been filled with medical complexities. For their second baby, they wanted reassurance—some sense of calm that everything would be okay.

But the early ultrasound didn’t offer comfort.
Instead, it revealed a large cystic hygroma stretching along their unborn son’s spine—an abnormal, fluid-filled sac signaling serious complications ahead.

Before he even took his first breath, baby Wyatt was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a critical condition in which the left side of the heart is severely underdeveloped. His chances of survival were less than 5 percent.

Yet even then, Wyatt showed he wasn’t a child who surrendered.

A Fragile Beginning

At 39 weeks, Wyatt entered the world via scheduled C-section.
Small, vulnerable, but undeniably fighting.

He was rushed straight to the NICU. Specialists reviewed his condition and realized his heart was far too weak for the planned first-stage surgery. At just five days old, Wyatt underwent pulmonary artery banding to stabilize blood flow. Immediately after, he was listed for a heart transplant.

His life hung in the balance.

Every single day brought new obstacles—obstacles many adults never face in a lifetime.

Then came a moment that nearly cost him everything.

A medication error caused his patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)—a vital blood vessel—to close prematurely. If it stayed closed, Wyatt would die. Doctors acted quickly, administering rare medication that successfully reopened the vessel.

“It was a miracle,” Monica says.
A miracle held together by quick thinking, expertise, and faith.

A Stroke That Changed Everything

Just when they thought Wyatt had endured the worst, another storm arrived.

At only two months old, he suffered a massive stroke.
His small body trembled with seizures. His breathing faltered. And his future became even more uncertain.

Could he still survive a transplant?
Would his fragile body withstand another ordeal?

His medical team asked difficult questions.
His parents faced agonizing decisions.

But through it all, Wyatt kept fighting—his tiny body refusing to give up on life.

The Call That Saved Him

On August 3, 2014, everything changed.

A heart had become available.
A perfect match.

Joy collided with terror as Monica and Jeremy prepared for the transplant. Early the next morning, Wyatt was wheeled into surgery. His failing heart barely kept him alive.

He entered the operating room weak and blue.

Hours later, he came out pink, warm, and alive in a way he had never been.

“The surgeons gave him life,” Monica says. “He went in so sick and came back full of life.”

It was the beginning of a new chapter—not without challenges, but filled with hope.

The Long Road of Recovery

A transplant didn’t mean an end to hardships.
Instead, it marked the beginning of a lifelong journey.

Wyatt underwent:

• Multiple heart catheterizations

• Ear tube surgeries

• Feeding tube placement

• Tonsil removal

• Intensive speech therapy

• Physical and mobility therapies

And the effects of his early stroke lingered.

Recently, doctors diagnosed him with bilateral hearing loss. Now, he proudly wears hearing aids—small devices that help him engage fully with the world he fought so hard to stay in.

“He knows things are harder for him,” Monica says, “but we always tell him: You can do hard things.”

And Wyatt believes it with his whole heart.

A Childhood Filled With Courage

Today, Wyatt is a lively nine-year-old fourth grader in Cedar Rapids.
He runs, plays, dances, sings, and loves making people laugh.

His father jokes, “It’s like he knows the lyrics to every song.”

He recently completed a 5K run—crossing the finish line beaming, bursting with energy, unstoppable in both spirit and stride.

Every movement, every laugh, every breath is a victory.

His transplanted heart beats strong, but his family knows uncertainty is always nearby. They’ve learned to treat every day as a gift, every milestone as a triumph.

They also honor the donor—the little girl whose heart now beats inside their son.
Her legacy lives through Wyatt’s kindness, his compassion, and the gentle way he approaches others.

A Hospital That Became a Second Home

The University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital is more than a medical center to the Rannals family—it is sacred ground.

“It’s full of experts who literally held our son’s life in their hands,” Monica says. “Without them, we wouldn’t have this amazing little boy, strong and healthy with us now.”

The hospital corridors hold memories: first breaths after surgery, tentative steps, whispered prayers, and the steady beat of a heart that wasn’t supposed to survive.

Lessons from a Little Fighter

Wyatt’s story is more than a collection of medical miracles.
It is a testament to perseverance, faith, and the fierce power of family.

He teaches:

• That strength is often quiet.

• That courage doesn’t always roar—it sometimes whispers.

• That miracles don’t happen all at once; they build one heartbeat at a time.

His journey reminds us that even the smallest victories—a meal eaten, a steady breath, a shared laugh—can hold monumental meaning.

A Life That Inspires

Every day, Wyatt teaches new lessons.

He teaches patience.
He teaches gratitude.
He teaches joy in the ordinary.

A sunny afternoon.
A basketball shot that lands just right.
A song sung off-key but full of heart.
A story read before bedtime.

His family has learned to live with intention—to celebrate every breath, treasure every heartbeat, and embrace moments that others may overlook.

The Power of a Heart That Refuses to Quit

Wyatt’s life is proof that:

• impossible beginnings can become extraordinary stories,

• fragile hearts can beat with incredible strength,

• and even the steepest odds can be overcome with love, medicine, and determination.

His scars tell stories.
His smile spreads hope.
His courage brings communities together.

He is a reminder that survival—especially against impossible odds—is its own kind of victory.

Wyatt keeps fighting.
Wyatt keeps thriving.
Wyatt keeps inspiring.

And with every heartbeat, he proves that miracles—though rare—are beautifully, undeniably real.