Parker McCollum Goes the Extra Mile for 17-Year-Old Fan Battling Leukemia

Parker McCollum went above and beyond to make a lasting impact on a 17-year-old fan named Kolten who has been fighting a fast-mutating form of leukemia.

Kolten was diagnosed on April 22, 2025, and spent six months receiving aggressive treatment in San Antonio before being transferred to MD Anderson in Houston. His single mom, Alana, who also cares for two grandchildren (one with type 1 diabetes), has received an outpouring of support online from followers and major public figures like McCollum. Since learning of her son’s diagnosis, she has been documenting his journey on social media under the hashtag #krushitkolt.

After spending 6 months in a hospital in San Antonio before being transferred to MD Anderson in Houston, where he has been doing chemo, Kolten has started to see positive results. Since he was feeling better, Alana decided to treat him with tickets to see the country star live in concert. However, they were unable to attend as she explained a donor had been found for his stem cell transplant and the procedure was scheduled for Feb 18.

Hoping to still give her son something special from McCollum she reached out to his team, asking if it would be possible to send an autographed t-shirt, but they did one better and gifted him a personalized video from McCollum himself. The surprises didn’t end there because the Texas native was so touched by the story, he wanted to meet Kolten.

“[Parker’s team called me] saying it was weighing on Parker and he wanted to meet my boy. He changed his whole schedule to come to the hospital and spend time with my son! 35 minutes, super casual, and SO AMAZING,” she revealed.

During his visit, McCollum met Kolten as well as other pediatric patients in the same hospital and happily left wearing one of the bracelets made to support the young boy. In another Facebook post, Alana shared a video proving that the country star did in fact showcase the #krushitkolt bracelet on stage during his sold-out show at the Houston Rodeo.

McCollum also promised that when Kolten is able to go into public and be around more people again, he will have a red carped rolled out for him at any show of his choosing. Alana went on to share that the two have already formed a strong bond and have been texting regularly after McCollum generously offered up his phone number.

“What an INCREDIBLE man,” she gushed.

The lates update on Kolten’s journey reveals that he had “amazing” lab results and is currently in remission.  An appointment on Thursday (March 26) will determine if they are able to go home soon with just once a week visits.

“My boy rang the bell, complete remission now, 2 weeks ago,” she wrote, before further emphasizing the impact that Parker McCollum has made on them during this trying chapter. “I wanted to share this, because if you didn’t know what an amazing person he is, you do now.”

She later added, “Keep praying! We still will stay for a little bit (he is mad about it but I need to make sure he is ok, being almost 4 hours away scares me still), so may be be home by May”

When the family moved to Houston, Alana unfortunately lost her job and has been unable to work due to Kolten’s medical treatments. A GoFundMe is available for the family, where $6,280 has already been raised. To learn more or to donate, click HERE.