Zy’Aire rebounds from surgery to repair a rare heart defect

After recovering from heart surgery, Zy’Aire rejoined his basketball team. Photos courtesy of Ben Nicols Media.

Zy’Aire Taylor of Orrville loves sports, whether he’s throwing a football with his younger brother or playing on his school’s basketball team. After episodes of chest pains and passing out while playing basketball at his after-school program in early 2022, he wondered if he’d ever be able to play sports again. Thanks to the Akron Children’s Heart Center team, he’s back to the sports and activities he enjoys.

Zy’Aire didn’t have a history of health problems, so passing out at age 12 took his loved ones by surprise. His mom, La’Raya Woods, took him to his primary care doctor. Zy’Aire got an electrocardiogram (ECG), a test that records electrical signals to determine if a heart beats too slow or fast. “The ECG came back normal,” she said. “But because Zy’Aire plays sports, his doctor recommended we go to Akron Children’s for an echocardiogram.”

Testing and diagnosis

An “echo” test is an ultrasound that uses sound waves to see how the heart looks and works. Zy’Aire’s test showed that there was a problem with his right coronary artery. The medical name for his condition is “anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery (AAOCA).” This is a rare heart defect he had since birth.

The aorta is the body’s main blood vessel. It carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the rest of the body. The coronary arteries branch off the aorta and bring blood to the heart muscle itself. Normally, the right coronary artery starts on the right side of the aorta, and the left coronary artery starts on the left side.

“Zy’Aire’s right coronary artery was coming off the wrong side of the aorta – left instead of right,” said Dr. Tara Karamlou, who specializes in pediatric congenital heart surgery. “The artery routed through the heart in a way that restricted blood flow, and that is why he had chest pains and passed out while playing basketball.”

La’Raya praises Zy’Aire’s Heart Center care team, including Cardiologist Dr. Wasim Khan.

Zy’Aire underwent more tests under the guidance of Dr. Wasim Khan, pediatric cardiologist. The tests confirmed the reduced blood flow to Zy’Aire’s heart and his need for surgery.

The tight-knit Orrville community rallied around Zy’Aire and his family. “When I tell you I have never seen kids rally around a child the way they did for Zy’Aire, I knew my son’s spirit was extremely special,” La’Raya said. “The love the community showed us just overwhelmed me. For example, the Orrville Police Department gave Zy’Aire a Nintendo Switch before he went into the hospital for surgery.”

The Orrville Police Department gave Zy’Aire a Nintendo Switch to keep him occupied as he recovered from surgery.

Surgery and God’s perfect timing

Drs. Karamlou and Robert Stewart, cardiovascular surgeon and chief of cardiothoracic surgery, operated on Zy’Aire in March 2024. “Zy’Aire had surgery to ‘unroof’ his abnormal coronary artery,” she shared. “We opened up the shared wall between the aorta and where his coronary artery was embedded. The surgery improved his blood flow and returned the artery to its normal place on the right side of the aorta.”

Zy’Aire recovered quickly from surgery, only spending a few days in the hospital, although he couldn’t return to sports right away. “Recovery was pretty amazing,” La’Raya said. “Kids are resilient, but as a worried mom, you don’t know until you’ve gotten through it.”

He got the OK to return to sports in July 2024. On the day of that Heart Center appointment, a family with an infant got the same AAOCA diagnosis. The Heart Center team connected the families and said Zy’Aire would be the case study for the baby’s surgery. “That was totally God,” La’Raya said. “It was amazing to give a message of hope to that family!”

Four months later during basketball season, Zy’Aire passed out while running laps. “We went back to Akron, and Zy’Aire was admitted for observation,” La’Raya recalled. “All of his tests came back negative, so we were good to go. But it was obviously quite scary because we didn’t know why he passed out.

“We were told the surgery would prevent a heart attack, but there is still a risk of cardiac arrest. This is the gray area where you still have to be careful and watch out for him.”

La’Raya says her son’s recovery from heart surgery was “amazing,” and he only needed to be in the hospital for a few days.

Zy’Aire today

He’s 14 years old now, an honor roll student who plays basketball for Orrville Middle School. “He’s an awesome kid – completely energetic, “La’Raya said. “He loves music, dancing, hanging out with his friends and bouncing around at the trampoline park. I couldn’t be prouder of him in every way.”

According to Dr. Karamlou, members of the Akron Children’s Heart Center team are recognized leaders in researching AAOCA and performing the unroofing surgery. “AAOCA is a dramatic form of a congenital heart defect that can result in sudden cardiac death in young athletes,” she explained. “Following surgery like we did for Zy’Aire, patients can return to sports and normal activities though they will still need routine surveillance by their cardiologist. He’s done very well since surgery, and it’s great to see.”