Featured Family: Dane the Swimmer

Dane Cuesta is a 12-year-old boy who loves to swim but his favorite pastime was put on hold after his Lung transplant in 2018, which his body rejected. He currently requires twice-monthly Photopheresis, which is a procedure where blood is removed, treated and returned to his body in order to stabilize his progression toward lung transplant failure. Dane will need this treatment until his second lung transplant. Meanwhile, he has to have a long-term indwelling catheter, which prevents him from swimming, as it cannot get wet.

Dane’s mother, Angie, found a company in England that makes custom drysuits that will cover up Dane’s medical equipment and will allow him to swim again, drastically improving his quality of life. Unfortunately, Dane’s parents have fallen on hard times and could not afford to get Dane a custom drysuit. Dane’s medical team at Children’s Hospital Colorado knew how much this would mean to Dane and they contacted Caruso Family Charities for help.

Caruso Family Charities was not only able to buy Dane his custom drysuit but also paid 4 months of rent for Dane’s family. This significant donation has given Dane’s parents some breathing room and allowed them to focus on caring for Dane and his other siblings.