Local family needs assistance after grandson receives open-heart surgery

ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. - Like any grandma, Sue Coller is proud to watch her grandson take a few steps. “Come on. You can do it."

But unlike most new grandparents, Steve Coller says he and his wife had to take legal custody of their grandson from their daughter right after his birth. “She had the Sheriff come into her room and say she wasn't going to be able to see the baby and that we would have to take custody of the baby or it would have to go into they system, the foster care system. Basically we had one hour's notice."

Born premature with congenital heart defects, Xavier survived open-heart surgery only to code and be revived again. Steve says, "We lived in the hospital for two months. We stayed by his bed side day and night. We talked to social workers there and they told us there'd be plenty of resources.”

When they returned home, the bills had piled up - and they say they found themselves a month away from electricity being turned off. According to Sue, “Not even a month away. They gave us names of people to call but no one would call us back.”

And that started their search for help from the federal and state agencies and from other charities in our area. Steve says the only money they're getting to help Xavier is from Social Security, around $400 a month. “I'm on disability, so basically we're on a fixed income. Then they lowered our food stamps down to $70 for the three of us because of his income. They said we made too much money. We right now have a base income of 17-1800 a month. And $2,200 in expenses, but that's not including clothes, diapers, and food and all the things they don't let you list on the forms when you apply.”

Sue says, "I made a lot of calls and I got nowhere.  Usually people would talk to me, but they'd just give me numbers to other places. Then I'd call those numbers and I'd get machines or other numbers. One number lead to another and they all lead to a dead end."

The family says one charity did come through, Julie Weintraub's Hands Across the Bay. Sue says they paid her electric bill and, “They gave us clothes, swings, just everything we needed for the baby. We were just in tears.”

But they still don't know really where else to turn.

If you’d like to help the Coller’s go to Julie Weintraub’s Hands Across the Bay at www.handsacrossthebay.org for information on where you can donate.