Two hearts, one kidney, 491 Days: Finn Olson’s long road home
Two hearts, one kidney, 491 Days: Finn Olson’s long road home
After two heart transplants, kidney failure and nearly 500 days of split-family routines, the Olson’s completed one final major step at Mayo Clinic this month — a mother and son kidney surgery on the same day. FOX 9's Symone Woolridge has the story.
ROCHESTER, Minn. (FOX 9) - After two heart transplants, kidney failure and nearly 500 days of split-family routines, the Olson’s completed one final major step at Mayo Clinic this month — a mother and son kidney surgery on the same day.
Finn the Fighter— How 491 hospital days began
What we know:
A hard start from birth: Finn Olson, 9, has had many developmental delays. He could not walk or eat without a tube until he was 4 years old. He is nonverbal, and was born with a heart defect.
"His heart was actually five times the size that it was supposed to be," said Ali Olson, Finn’s mom.
Finn’s health journey is extensive. His first heart surgery came just six months after he was born.
In January of 2025, doctors discovered his heart was failing while conducting routine tests.
By May of 2025, he was admitted to the hospital and put on life support while waiting for a match.
"They told us that it was going to be six months to a year wait," Ali said. "He had to undergo an unplanned surgery, sort of an emergency surgery that nobody could have expected. And at that surgery, he had a really tough recovery and actually his kidneys failed."
After kidney failure, Finn had to start dialysis.
All while fighting through new obstacles in the hospital, the Olson family still had to run their household which is over an hour away from Mayo Clinic.
Finn has two siblings. Ali and her husband, Jeff, have had to split time between the hospital and time at home.
"Jeff would be in Rochester Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and at lunchtime he would drive up here to the cities then I would leave my office Wednesday and I would drive down to Rochester."
The only day the family spent time together was on Saturday nights at the hospital.
"You've heard the expression, it takes a village to raise a child," Pediatric Intensivist and Anesthesiologist Dr. Gregory Shears said. "In Finn's case it took a small city to get him through an amazingly challenging medical ordeal."
The surgeries that brought him home
Timeline:
A text and dates the family will never forget: Tuesday, May 5, was surgery day for his new heart. While patiently waiting, the family received a confirmation text that said his "new heart is in and beating."
"There were nights where one of the doctors said to me once that we were out of blood pressure medications to give him, all we had left was Jesus," Ali said.
Friday, Sept. 4, was the day the family found out he had a kidney donor. The plan meant that Finn would receive a kidney from a stranger while Ali donated a kidney to someone in need on the same day.
"I know what it is like to love somebody that's in kidney failure. I know what it's like to drive somebody to dialysis," said Ali. "My son's been helped by three donors by the end of our story. The least I can do is help one other person."
Before the big day for the two of them, Ali and Finn were able to spend time together at home as a family, which is something that hadn’t done in a year and a half.
As they all walked the hospital hallway preparing to head home, a group of patients, doctors and nurses were there waiting.
"Surprise!" many of them were heard saying as the family walked through.
People were holding signs with words of encouragement and with Finn’s favorite things.
"It's incredible how everybody came together to help get him to this day," said Dr. Shears. "It gives you just goosebumps to think about that."
FOX9 was able to capture moments Finn hadn’t experienced in a long time, like riding in the car and spending time at home without any appointments or machines to worry about.
During our interview, we could hear the kids playing.
"How does it feel to hear that," FOX9 reporter Symone Woolridge asked.
"My husband and I aren't even in the same house at the same time, let alone all three of children," Ali said. "The chaos and the fighting and all the things that you don't think you're going to miss, until you really miss it."
"People take that for granted," Symone said.
"Yeah, I love it," said Ali.
What's next:
Ali and Finn are both out of surgery and are doing well. Finn is officially at home for good. The Olson’s have been soaking up time together and enjoying their new normal.