For the first time in days, Todd Nichols and Gina Dimercurio got to hold their 6-month-baby boy, Wyatt. He's recovering from back-to-back heart surgery.
A month and a half ago, doctors discovered a hole in Wyatt's enlarged heart.
"They had him on morphine. They've slowly taken him off methadone, low doses. He's responding to everything great. His heart is operating at 13 percent," said Nichols.
But Wyatt's parents say despite progress in recent days, their son will likely need a heart transplant. He's currently at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto where they've been told he'll have to stay for at least the next several months. The daily commute from the hospital to Nichols' job in Martinez is taking a toll.
"I'd say we're going through a full tank of gas which is $50 every other day almost," said Nichols.
It's an expense that Nichols just can't afford. He works as a custodian for the Martinez Unified School District. Friends and family are doing what they can to help. They plan to raise money by selling bumper stickers and placing donation jars throughout Martinez, so Wyatt's parents can just focus on their baby boy.
"He might have a full life which would be great, you know. I just want to play catch with him and go fishing. It's all I want to do with him, you know? She just wants to dress him up and take him out to Halloween. You know, just the normal kid stuff," said Nichols.
It's what every parent wants for their child, but in baby Wyatt's case, his parents can only hope for the best.
A fund has been set up for Wyatt and his family. Donations can be made at Wells Fargo to the Wyatt Nichols Fund. The account number to make a donation is 657-473-1425.
This started with a phone call to ABC7 News from a concerned viewer. If you have a story idea, contact us.
