Mazie wholeheartedly embraces life. 

She was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. HLHS is a congenital condition in which only two of the four chambers of her heart were formed correctly, prompting almost immediate surgery after birth.

Fossil Ridge High School has the honor of featuring Mazie during this year’s Wish Week to help grant wishes for kids like her through Make-A-Wish Colorado. Starting March 29, Wish Week will be packed with events and celebrations to benefit Mazie. She is currently waiting for her wish to be granted. She loves the character Moana and has hopes of meeting her in Hawaii. With the donations from the Fossil community, we will help to grant wishes for kids like Mazie to give them hope, strength, and joy through their battle with illness and beyond.

As a baby, Mazie underwent various open-heart surgeries to try and make the two chambers she did have effective in circulation, only finishing the process with a third surgery this summer. 

Groundbreaking technology and new developments have allowed for Mazie’s success, even being one of the first to experience it. When her heart was only the size of an acorn, her surgeon used a cadaver’s femoral vein as a valve, making Mazie a pioneer of this technique. The family is beyond thankful for the supportive community they found at Children’s Hospital and owes her success to their devotion.

Despite the positive outcome of the procedure, Maize unfortunately developed atopic atrial tachycardia, meaning her heart could start beating in an abnormal rhythm and send her to the hospital immediately. 

This year has made many of us more aware of germs and afraid of illness. However, Mazie’s mom, Elizabeth, claims the pandemic has not greatly impacted her treatment. “When you live with these complex conditions, you have to be careful from day one,” said her mother.

Mazie’s bravery and positivity are inspiring. “She can find joy in any, any situation or moment. Somehow,” her mother stated. When days in the hospital were slow, Mazie got to ride around the unit on her favorite strider bike. She loves princesses and the color pink, playing with her older sister, and her favorite singer, Bowen Hammit, who also has HLHS.

In the face of such challenges, the family remains hopeful and resilient. Mazie’s mother expressed her gratitude for Fossil’s commitment to making Mazie’s dream a reality, “In terms of all of the ugliness that is happening in the world around us, you guys are doing something so awesome that it gives us hope for the future.”

The family chose to connect with Make-A-Wish after seeing how much it impacted a family friend, stating “[the journey with Make-A-Wish] was such a blessing, they had just amazing stories that they told about that trip. It’s like everything can just melt away and you actually can smile and find joy.” Fossil hopes to make this happen for Mazie too. 

Join in the Wish Week celebrations this spring to help benefit Mazie and to grant life-changing wishes for kids like her, with more details to come about what the week will entail.