A transgender man who jumped into the freezing waters of Lake Michigan to rescue an 8-month-old baby is now recovering at home after being hospitalized for heart monitoring and cold exposure, according to updates from an online fundraiser supporting him. Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ + news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate's email newsletter. Lio Cundiff, 30, was near Chicago’s Belmont Harbor on February 18 when a powerful gust of wind blew a stroller with the infant strapped inside into the harbor, the Chicago Tribune reports . Cundiff told the newspaper he heard the baby’s mother scream and reacted immediately. “I wasn’t going to let that baby die,” Cundiff said. Though he did not know how to swim, Cundiff jumped into the near-freezing water and reached the stroller, keeping the baby above the surface while he struggled to tread water. The Tribune reports that bystanders threw him a flotation device and helped pull both Cundiff and the child safely to shore. Related : 21 states now limit transgender people’s bathroom use, with criminal penalties in two Related : Trump uses State of the Union to demonize transgender kids and their families The baby was transported to Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and was reported to be in good condition. Cundiff was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where doctors monitored his heart after exposure to the icy water. The Advocate has reached out to Cundiff, but has not heard back. A GoFundMe page organized by his friend Bobby Crowley praises the man for his actions. “Lio, my best friend, is a true hero,” Crowley wrote. “Without hesitation, Lio dove into the cold water and kept the baby above the surface, treading water for what felt like an eternity.” The fundraiser says Cundiff, a Chicago comedian who also works as a server, lives paycheck to paycheck. Missing work while recovering has left him facing hospital bills, lost wages, and rent obligations. “The medical bills are already piling up,” Crowley wrote. As of publication, the fundraiser had raised more than $69,700, more than double its original $30,000 goal, from nearly 1,400 donors, including a $5,000 anonymous top donation. Related : A devastating reality: New report finds violence and erasure ahead of Transgender Day of Remembrance In a February 20 update posted to the fundraiser page, Cundiff confirmed he had been released from the hospital. “Hey y’all Lio here, I’m back home and feeling good. My heart is doing well and I’m just processing the last couple of days!” he wrote. “I’m feeling overwhelmed and thankful to everyone who has supported me and donated!” Cundiff said he has been in contact with the baby’s family and that “the baby girl is also doing great and really just acting like nothing happened!” He emphasized that others who rushed to help were critical to the rescue. “I don’t think either of us would be here without their help,” he wrote. “It was a true team effort!” As anti-trans rhetoric intensifies nationwide, Cundiff’s story has resonated far beyond Chicago, not because he sought recognition, but because, in a moment of crisis, he acted. “Stay safe out there and keep looking out for one another,” he wrote.