A Manitoba family is asking for prayer as they wait to see if their son will make it home in time for Christmas.
Krystal Kiss, a mother of four, has a set of two-year-old twins, a six-year-old, and an 11-month-old, who has yet to experience life outside of the hospital.
Kiss experienced a placental abruption, and her son, Colter Kiss, was born at just 25 weeks on Jan. 3, 2025.
“I had to have an emergency C-section, and he was born weighing just 1lb, 13oz,” said Kiss. “He’s just been fighting ever since.”
At this point, Krystal says Colter has had four different surgeries done: heart surgery, hernia surgery, a tracheostomy, and he is being fed through a G-tube in his stomach.
“He’s definitely had quite the battle, but he’s just proving to be the toughest little boy I’ve ever met and the happiest little boy through it all as well. He is just full of smiles, and you wouldn’t know what this kid has gone through.”
Krystal says it’s been heartbreaking to have her son in the hospital for such an extended period, especially knowing she is leaving her other children at home.
“You feel guilty, and you’re constantly, constantly worried,” said Kiss. “When he was younger and in the NICU, my husband, Steve, and I had been called in at least five or six times to say our goodbyes because they didn’t think he was gonna make it through the night. It’s just been, it’s been a lot.”
Faith helps family through journey
One thing that has helped the Kiss family through this ordeal is their faith.
“It has actually brought us so much, so much closer to God, and has given us a lot stronger faith, and we discovered after the first probably two months, that it was just a matter of leaving it to God,” said Kiss. ” It was the only way to calm our anxieties. We prayed and left it in God’s hands, and it definitely gave us some peace.”
Through this difficult journey, Steve, who did not grow up in a Christian home, gave his life to God.
“He was baptized back in May,” said Kiss. It has definitely helped him. And now he’ll tell anyone who will listen to him, so it’s been great for him.”
Asking for prayers ahead of Christmas
As Christmas draws near, the Kiss family is asking for prayers that their son would be home in time for the holidays.
“The plan is for him to be home for Christmas,” said Kiss. So, pray for that to happen and that when he does come home, God will keep him safe and give us the tools and the knowledge we need to be able to care for him.”
They are also asking for prayer for strength and energy as Colter will require round-the-clock care.
Ways to help the Kiss family
In the midst of this chaos, both Krystal and Steve have been unable to work, leading to an overwhelming financial burden.
A neighbour has set up a GoFundMe to help the Kiss family deal with this financial stress.
“The support system that we’ve had has been great.”
Anyone interested in helping can donate there or reach out to Krystal Kiss on her Facebook page.
Kiss is encouraging other parents going through a similar situation to have faith.
“It gets easier,” said Kiss. “Having faith has been a life changer for us, and we were able to focus more on what was going on and were able to digest the information we were being given.
“It looks so scary and terrifying, but these babies, they’re resilient. They’re stronger than we could ever imagine.”
