He’s also in a fun competition.

Theo is the son of Brett and Danielle Sullivan. Chautauqua County residents, one of Theo’s older half-sisters, Peyton Kohler is senior at Cassadaga Valley Central School, the same school where his other older half-sister Gracelyn graduated from.

Brett and Danielle have been married since 2014. They had hoped to have children, but had some struggles and weren’t sure it would happen. Danielle had miscarriages in the past, so she didn’t want to get her hopes up when she found out she was pregnant with Theo.

At 20 weeks pregnant, they learned that Theo was growing very slowly.

Theo, the child of Brett and Danielle Sullivan, was born prematurely, weighing less than 1 and a half pounds.

“He was classified at the 20 week mark as what a 15-week fetus would look like,” Danielle said.

By week 24, the parents were told that Theo would have abnormal temporal bones. That’s caused him to have a large head.

“His head is in the 97th percentile; his body weight is in the 15 percentile,” Danielle explained.

When Theo was born he weighed 1 pound 7 ounces. He was intubated twice at birth and then one other time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Theo was born in Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo on Dec. 6 but didn’t get to come home until March 17.

Theodore Sullivan, who is medically challenged, is a finalist in a Baby of the Year contest.

When he first came home he was on oxygen 24 hours a day because he has chronic lung disease. Now he is only on oxygen when he sleeps.

He also has a tethered spinal cord and will be getting surgery Nov. 4.

He’s had a surgical procedure for his intestines, which created large hernias for the infant.

With all of his medical issues, his physical development has been slowed.

But even with all of his health challenges, Theo’s beauty is showing through.

His mom entered him into a “Baby of the Year” competition by Baby 2 Baby, a nonprofit that provides children in need across the country with diapers, clothing and all the basic necessities that every child deserves.

National stars promoting the contest include actress Jessica Alba, media icon Paris Hilton and Grammy-award winning artist Kelly Rowland. The contest is also partnered with Variety Magazine.

Theo entered the contest earlier this fall and has already made it through multiple rounds of voting, reaching the quarter finals, which, according to the Baby of the Year website, is the top 1%.

In fact, there were 155,520 babies total when the contest began.

There are now 10,368 babies total left in the quarter finals.

The quarter finals began Monday and end Nov. 6.

Semi-finals run from Nov. 7-13 and the finals run Nov. 14-20.

The grand prize winner will be announced by Dec. 5. The winner will receive a $25,000 honorarium and get a two-page advertorial spread in Variety magazine.

The family admits the prize money would help tremendously. On the website, Danielle wrote, “$25,000 would impact our family as right now I am Theo’s main care giver. His dad is permanently disabled. This would be able to help with expenses to and from medical appointments that are almost two hours away and possibly be able to provide home healthcare when I go back to work. We also have some medical bills uncovered from insurance. Theo has another surgery for his spine scheduled before he turns 11 months old, and may have long lasting medical effects.”

Because of Theo’s medical issues, he can’t be enrolled in a daycare. When Danielle is unable to care for Theo because she’s working, Gracelyn, who was a semi-finalist for Chautauqua’s Got Talent competition earlier this year, also helps out, as well as other family members.

To vote go to https://babyoftheyear.org/2025/theodore-32bc. An individual’s identity is verified through Facebook. A person can vote once a day. Additional votes can be made by making donations to Baby 2 Baby.

While Danielle is hoping Theo wins the Baby of the Year competition, she’s glad for what Baby 2 Baby does. “Winning or not winning, somewhere, someplace, a baby is getting the help they need. With the amount of babies in this competition, babies and their families in poverty are getting the help they need with the donated paid votes. And by signing Theo up, it helps get the word out of this fundraiser to my friends and family. It’s a great cause. And if our family can make a difference, that makes our hearts happy at the end of the day,” she said.