Staying strong for Maverick Salazar

CLYDE — Most 19-year-olds are trying to figure out their lives. But Maverick Salazar, a 19-year-old himself, continues to fight for his life. Before even being born, at 25 weeks old, doctors told his then-19-year-old pregnant mother, Tara Salazar, how her son would face a lifelong medical condition known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Basically, this occurs when the left side of a person's heart hasn't grown enough, meaning it can't develop properly. "The left side of the heart is the strong side of your heart that pumps blood into your whole body," Tara said. "He only has one atrium and one ventricle (a normal human has a pair of working atria and ventricles). He only has the right side of his heart working." Throughout his childhood, adolescence and now entering adulthood, Maverick — a 2025 Clyde High School graduate — missed out on many opportunities his classmates often take for granted. This would include playing contact sports and leaving his hometown for college. He also couldn't participate in other defining moments his peers experienced due to medical-related reasons. Despite the hundreds of appointments and many surgeries, he remains optimistic to, one day, receive a clean bill of health and find a type of normalcy in life. "I just take it one day at a time as I undergo these tests and hope for the best," said Maverick, who's studying computer information systems at Terra State Community College. "I have a great support system: not only with my family but with my friends." Every night, Tara prays for her son, hoping a miracle can happen for Maverick, who's experienced countless misfortunes but, through it all, stays positive. "It's definitely emotional and mentally exhausting because, as a parent, you want to protect your child and you want to fix it, but you can't," Tara said. "I feel I always have to be strong for him when, the reality is, I'm terrified." Surgery after surgery From birth through the present day, Maverick has undergone five surgeries on his heart. It all started when Tara delivered Maverick at a Michigan hospital. They needed to visit this specialty medical center due to the complexities from his condition shown during sonograms. At 4 days old, he underwent his first surgery on his heart. Doctors performed a second surgery on him at 8 months old. By the time he turned 2, Maverick went under the knife for his third open-heart surgery. During that operation, doctors performed what's known as the Fontan procedure to treat his hypoplastic left heart syndrome. In short, to lessen the burden on his lone ventricle, this procedure allows blood to enter straight into a pulmonary artery — blood vessels that carry oxygen-poor blood from the heart to the lungs — according to the Cleveland Clinic. Performing this surgery lengthens an impacted child's lifespan, though it varies, depending on the individual. Further complications arose a few years later. "After the Fontan, he had to be seen every six months for his whole life. And then, when he was 8 years old, we were going in for a regular checkup in Michigan, and that was when he was in complete heart block," Tara said. "That means your heart can suddenly stop, and you can die." Maverick needed a pacemaker inserted in his abdomen. It's a small, battery-powered device that prevents the heart from beating too slowly, according to the Mayo Clinic. For the next decade or so, Maverick didn't face any additional setbacks. But the pacemaker's battery started to lose power. Pacemakers can last anywhere from five to 15 years, the Mayo Clinic noted. "When the battery stops working, you need surgery to replace it." Regarding Maverick's situation, when doctors went about replacing his pacemaker, "He developed so much scar tissue between the leads — that's what is attached to his heart from the pacemaker — so they had to go in and replace it with another open-heart surgery," Tara said. This occurred at the end of 2024 — "and, ever since then, it's just gone downhill," Tara said. "He developed a pericardial effusion, which is fluid built up around the heart. It makes the heart have to work harder." For the next three months, Maverick found himself in and out of the hospital because health care professionals "needed to go back in and drain the fluid that was in and around his heart," Tara said. "And he has gotten weaker ever since," said Tara, noting he hasn't fully recovered. Tara noted that Maverick also, within this time frame, contracted liver disease, stemming from his weakened heart. "Because the heart is connected to the liver, it receives the most pressure build-up and damages the liver," Tara said. "On an ultrasound, it looks as if you have cirrhosis." Maverick now faces a bout with jaundice, a yellowing of the skin, often signaling underlying liver disease. "He's out of breath a lot," said Tara, indicating Maverick also suffers from low oxygen levels and might need a device to supplement his breathing. Most recently, in December, Maverick went into arterial fibrillation, an irregular and rapid heart rhythm. This can lead to blood clots in the heart along with other life-threatening conditions, like stroke, heart failure and other related complications. "His pacemaker was shocking his heart as if he was running a marathon for 25 hours, beating at 300 beats per minute, but his pacemaker was bringing it back down to the 140s," Tara said. "That is when doctors said it was time for Maverick to be referred out for heart transplantation and an evaluation." What's next? Up until recently, while extremely difficult, doctors always offered hope to Maverick and his family, providing solutions to cure whatever issues he faced. In December, however, the hospital in Michigan recently threw up a stop sign, potentially derailing Maverick's recovery. "They won't allow Maverick to have organs. They can't do the transplants because he is considered 'too high risk,'" Tara said. Right now, the Salazar family finds itself in a holding pattern, awaiting word from the Cleveland Clinic about possible next steps and where a transplant might occur. It's possible it could be as close to their Clyde home as Cleveland or as far away as North Carolina. He continues to go through an extensive evaluation process. "Because he needs someone else's organs, there are not a lot of places that will give them to a 'high-risk' candidate," Tara said. "With him needing a heart and a liver and with his circulation because of the Fontan, many doctors don't feel he would have the best success rate. (The) Cleveland (Clinic) has already told us that the Fontan patients only have a 50% survival rate." When factoring in all of this — the waiting, Maverick being listed as a seemingly hopeless statistic and additional treatment not a guarantee — it's just devastating all around for the Salazar household. "It's scary," Tara said. "When your son is looked at as a success rate and not a person, your feelings get hurt." On the slim possibility Maverick does get accepted, another set of issues — beyond costs — would arise. "If he does get the transplant, the Cleveland Clinic said to expect him to be hospitalized for around nine months," said Tara, pointing out she has four other daughters attending Clyde Schools. "There are a lot of unknowns. I don't know what we are going to do." Support system Many people know the Salazar family, which also includes: • Maverick's dad and Tara's husband, Ricky Salazar • Maverick's siblings and the spouses' other children: Emme, Mira, Nora and Sophia To raise awareness and keep friends and family members informed, the family created a page on Facebook known as Maverick's Movement. The tagline, in part, reads: "Maverick's future depends on a heart and liver transplant." Additionally, the page links to an ongoing fundraiser. People can find it by visiting gofundme.com and searching for "Support Maverick Salazar Heart and Liver Transplant Journey." It accompanies a picture of the family during Maverick's graduation ceremony. "For 19 years, they have handled everything that has come their way: surgery after surgery, hospital stay after hospital stay," wrote Tyler Myers, the organizer of this fundraising page. He's a family friend, and Maverick served as the ringbearer in Myers' wedding. "They have made sacrifices quietly and trusted God through all of it," Myers said. "Sometimes the strongest families are the ones who struggle most to ask for help. So I am asking for them." Receiving transplants at first-rate medical centers comes at a great cost, and other bills resulting from hospital visits — for instance, Maverick is about to go for a liver biopsy — keep piling up for the Salazars. Regarding the fundraiser, "It will help pay for medical costs," said Tara, who, during an interview, sat on the floor in her living room since she sold off two chairs in her Clyde-area home to help pay for Maverick's hospital bills. "I've sold a lot of stuff in my home, and we are not the type of people to ask for anything," Tara said. "But we are at the point where we have to. Personally, I would rather just keep selling stuff." The entire situation has taxed every single family member, Tara said. While always appreciating Maverick's attitude when facing all of this adversity, she's also commended her daughters' approach when processing and dealing with what's happening. "For them, they are all younger than Maverick, and have always grown up with a 'sick' brother. They don't know any different," Tara said. "But, as they are getting older, they are starting to understand how serious this is. They understand the severity. They know I have to be gone and away from things for a while." Tara also thanked her friends for stepping up, such as providing rides for her girls to sports and other school activities. "We are so thankful to the community and all the support they have given so far," Tara said. While a difficult and grueling situation for all involved, Maverick — through his unwavering positive outlook on life — has taught his mother some valuable lessons. "Through his life, I have watched him grow and come to understand his condition — and not once has he questioned it or felt pity for himself. I admire that more than I can explain," Tara said. "Maverick has taught me patience, perspective and what true strength looks like," she added. "He has shown me how to face hard things with courage and how to keep moving forward even when the path is uncertain." So what will happen to Maverick going forward? While Tara can't predict the future, she's confident her son will find a way to, once again, overcome the odds and stay strong in everything he encounters, no matter how daunting. "I hold close the many nights in the hospital when I would get hospital fatigue and switch out with his dad, realizing that Maverick never had that option," Tara said. "After surgeries, he was the one forced to get up and walk the halls with chest tubes in, pushing through pain and exhaustion, and he handled it all," she added. "He is a fighter. I know many people will never truly understand or endure what he has — and when I look at him, I am simply amazed." Want to help? People can receive updates on Maverick Salazar in one of two ways: 1. Join the Facebook group Maverick's Movement, which provides constant updates on his ongoing medical situation 2. Donate to his ongoing fundraiser found at gofundme.com and by searching "Support Maverick Salazar Heart and Liver Transplant Journey," accompanied by a picture of the Salazar family during Maverick's graduation; All proceeds will pay for Maverick's medical costs.