Next month, Jase, Joe, and I are riding in a bike race to support a very special little boy! My sister-in-law, who works at Children’s Hospital, personally selected two families from her unit to support and this sweet kiddo is one of them.
We’re proud to be part of the Cardiac Climbers team and would love for you to read his story and cheer us on. ❤♀ #GoCardiacClimbers
Here is Za'Kaveion's story:
"On September 17, 2024, Za’Kaveion Mayes entered the world already carrying a strength far beyond his tiny frame. Before he even took his first breath, his heart was fighting battles most of us will never understand.
At 24 weeks pregnant, I received a diagnosis that would change everything: Za’Kaveion had a congenital heart defect — double inlet left ventricle and interrupted aortic arch. We were told he would need a series of three palliative heart surgeries: the Norwood, the Glenn, and the Fontan, spaced across his early years. The news was overwhelming. The unknowns were terrifying.
At just one week old, Za’Kaveion had his first open-heart surgery. He made it through, but not without complications — doctors had to restart his heart. Watching that unfold was something I’ll never forget. The emotional toll was so great that my own body began to shut down. I was physically and mentally exhausted.
At five months, Za’Kaveion underwent his second surgery — the Glenn. It should have brought progress, but instead, it brought more trauma. He hemorrhaged in his lungs and needed to be placed on ECMO, a heart-lung machine. He also went into complete heart block. I started to question everything — even God. Why him? Why us?
Hospital stays became our new normal. Medical terminology filled our daily conversations. I wasn’t just a mother — I became a nurse, an advocate, and a fighter right alongside my son. All while trying to give him the life of a typical baby — celebrating milestones, playing, laughing, just being a child.
There is no manual for parenting a child with a critical heart condition. There’s only faith, hope, and the determination to show up every day, no matter how afraid you are.
Za’Kaveion has shown more courage in his first year of life than many do in a lifetime. Through every needle, every machine, every complication — he keeps fighting. And we keep fighting with him.
What I want people to take from our story is this: even when the journey is filled with fear, uncertainty, and pain, there is strength inside you that you never knew existed. You are not alone. And there is hope — even in the darkest places.
We share Za’Kaveion’s journey to raise awareness of congenital heart disease in babies and toddlers. These tiny warriors are climbing mountains every day. Za’Kaveion is proof that even the smallest hearts can be the strongest.
He is not just surviving — he is climbing"