Dane was born fighting. At just 1 week old, he underwent complex open heart surgery. And now, at just 6 months old, he and his family are facing their greatest challenge: waiting for a heart transplant.
On March 13, 2026, Dane officially was listed for a heart transplant at Status 1A, the highest priority level. He is hospitalized at Norton Children’s Hospital, where he will remain under around-the-clock care while waiting for a compatible donor.
“Thank you for continuing to support us and for helping share Dane’s story. It truly means so much to our family,” said Cheyenne Copeland, R.N., Dane’s mother and a registered nurse at Norton King’s Daughters’ Health in Madison, Indiana.
The road ahead is not a short one. Extensive antibody testing revealed that Dane’s immune system is more likely to reject many potential donor hearts, which significantly limits the number of compatible matches. His care team has predicted the wait could be at least a year. In the meantime, it is working on treatments to lower his antibody levels and improve his chances of finding a match.
A mother’s intuition
Cheyenne has always trusted her instincts. As a nurse, she pays attention to every minor detail for the patients she cares for. So when her inner voice kept nagging her that something might be off during her pregnancy, she took note — even though every appointment seemed to go fine.
“Throughout the whole pregnancy, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of mother’s intuition, but I kind of felt something was wrong, but I never said anything because everything was going OK,” she said.
Although doctors mentioned her baby was measuring a little small, it was easy to brush off as normal variation, until the 32-week appointment. During an ultrasound, doctors found that Dane had an issue with his heart.
Cheyenne was referred to Norton Children’s Maternal Fetal-Medicine, part of Norton Women’s Care, where a team of specialists monitored the rest of her pregnancy and came up with a comprehensive plan for delivery. On Oct. 6, 2025, baby Dane was born at Norton Hospital in downtown Louisville with a room full of specialists on hand ready to help.
Dane was “born with good lungs!” and was loud, Cheyenne said.
She was able to hold her baby for only a brief moment before he was taken straight to the Norton Children’s Hospital neonatal intensive care unit. After more detailed imaging, providers learned Dane’s full diagnosis: Shone’s complex, a rare congenital heart condition affecting several structures on the left side of the heart.
Rather than a single issue, Shone’s complex is a combination of abnormalities that can vary from child to child. In Dane’s case, doctors found several areas where key valves and blood vessels were underdeveloped or narrowed. His condition included a hypoplastic parachute mitral valve with a supramitral ring, a hypoplastic bicuspid aortic valve with severe stenosis, and a hypoplastic aorta with long-segment coarctation.
In simple terms, parts of Dane’s heart and major blood vessels were too small or too tight, making it difficult for oxygen-rich blood to move from his heart to the rest of his body. Due to the severity of the blockages, doctors explained that Dane would need open heart surgery.
Complex heart surgery
At exactly 1 week old, Dane underwent Stage 1 of the Norwood procedure, a complex and high-risk, multistage open heart surgery that reconstructs the heart and helps restore heart function.
The surgery started at 7:30 in the morning, took several hours, and was successfully performed by Bahaaldin Alsoufi, M.D., director of pediatric cardiac surgery at Norton Children’s Heart Institute, with assistance from pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon Deborah J., Kozik, D.O.
“The first 48 hours post-Norwood are the most critical,” Cheyenne said. “They said Dane had very minimal interventions during that period, so they were really surprised by that.”
Dane’s recovery continued in the Jennifer Lawrence Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, where he quickly became known for his big personality.
“He does not like being alone, and loves attention,” Cheyenne said. “He loves to be held. He smiles a lot. When he’s got attention on him, he is definitely all smiles.”
Surrounded by support
Throughout this journey, the Norton Children’s team has been there for the family every step of the way — with regular check-ins, addressing every concern and caring for Dane like he’s part of their family, too. Social workers have connected the family with resources and support groups, and child life specialists have helped keep Dane’s 5-year-old sister engaged and comforted during hospital visits.
For Cheyenne, whose career has spanned roles as a medical assistant, emergency room technician and emergency department nurse, caring for her own child has reshaped how she shows up for her patients.
“Now I really know what it’s like to be on the opposite side of the bed,” she said. “I’ve never had a family member really in the hospital, let alone one of my children, and so it’s really given me a new perspective and deeper connection to patients.”
Waiting for a match
Dane is a baby who loves to be held, lights up when he gets attention, and has already shown so much strength and resilience from the day he was born. His family believes the right heart is out there, and hopes people will spread the word about the importance of organ donation.
Raising awareness can help make a lifesaving difference for families like Dane’s. To learn more or to register as an organ donor, visit OrganDonor.gov.