Community of Heart Warriors

The reason behind our Mission, ALK

Axell Logan Kendrick is a joyful, curious, and fiercely strong two-year-old with a love for dirt bikes, monster trucks, learning new things, and making friends wherever he goes. His laugh is contagious, his determination is unmatched, and his story is one of courage, resilience, and faith.

In late 2024, Axell was diagnosed with severe heart failure and has since been living full-time at Texas Children’s Hospital, supported by a Berlin Heart pump — a device that keeps his heart beating while his care team monitors his progress and determines whether recovery or transplant will be the next step. He’s currently listed as a 1A heart transplant candidate, the highest level of urgency.

Even in the hospital, Axell’s personality shines. He loves dancing to music, riding his bike through the halls, and saying his catchphrase: “I am strong, I am tough, I got this.” His spirit is electric, brave, silly, stubborn in the best ways, and full of life.

Axell’s journey is the reason we founded the Axe of Love and Kindness Foundation — to support other families navigating the hardest moments of their lives. He’s not just our son; he’s the heartbeat of our mission and the inspiration behind every act of love we share. 

This page is dedicated to sharing other Heart Warrior Stories. 

Read their journey, put a face to the story, and support their family by clicking on the links within their sections. 

Together, we heal hearts.

The journey of a heart transplant through the eyes of Oakley’s mom

“We don’t feel it’s safe to continue with any further surgical repairs… we believe your daughter needs a heart transplant.” My entire soul left my body when her surgeon said those words.

We first learned about Oakley’s heart condition at 20 weeks pregnant. She had holes in both upper and lower chambers, and her heart was on the right side of her chest. She had open-heart surgeries at 6 weeks old and again at 2.

At 6, she went in for another surgery, but hours later, the surgeon told us her heart was too complex. Her heart failure was worsening. For the first time, transplant was mentioned. Soon after, she was listed, and not long later, admitted for continuous IV support. Days turned to months. She was tired and even walking into a grocery store became too much.

On February 16, 2025, exactly 365 days inpatient, we got the call. A donor heart was accepted. After a year of prayers, she was getting her miracle.

A family, in their darkest moment, said yes to donation… 

The most selfless gift.

After 385 days, Oakley went home. Her lips are finally pink, and she runs and plays with her little brother. 

I don’t know her donor, but I think of them every day. Their ‘yes’ saved Oakley’s life.

It wasn’t the journey I envisioned, but I now know: The little moments are the big ones. And I’ll never take them for granted again.

MacKenzie's Version  

From a very young age, we could tell something wasn’t quite right with my heart. I was later diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a condition that affects my connective tissue. EDS affects every part of my body, wreaking havoc on everything from my organs and joints to my blood vessels and beyond. 

My heart problems were among the first signs, and as I’ve grown, it’s become painfully clear that EDS is the reason my heart has suffered so much. It’s the underlying cause of the multiple heart conditions I’ve developed. I’ve already had three heart surgeries, along with endless tests, procedures, pokes, medications, and everything else that comes with living with a chronic condition.

Over the past year, things have gotten significantly harder with my heart. Doctors have determined that EDS has fully attacked my heart, and now this is my lifelong battle. The road ahead will be full of more surgeries, more pain, more uncertainty. But through it all, we take it one minute at a time, cherishing every moment, never taking anything for granted.

"MacKenzie Strong" has become more than just a saying, it’s the strength I hold on to every day. It reminds me that no matter how hard the fight gets, I’m strong enough to keep going.

If you’d like to be a part of this journey with me, I’d love for you to follow along on Instagram.

One of the scariest days of my life was when I was told by a doctor I would not live to see my 16th birthday without major medical intervention. 

The chemo needed to save me from the cancer when I was 14, gave me cardiomyopathy. A year after beating cancer, I was in end stage heart failure. I wasn’t eligible for a heart transplant since I was not 2 years cancer free.

Fortenly there was a device — the LVAD heartemate 3 — that could help pump my heart for me until I could be transplanted. Getting the VAD I didn’t know if I’d leave the hospital until transplant. I became the first pediatric patient with an LVAD in the state of Arkansas to go home with their device. I stayed on my LVAD for just under 2 years.

When I got the call it felt like the beginning to an end. “Miss Mackenzie are you there? How would you feel about taking a trip down.. to get a heart?” my nurse Rachel asks. “I would love that.” I told her. It didn’t feel real. My mom and I started packing and hit the road. 

I was very calm, which mostly stemmed from denial. I had been told lots of times I was told they don’t know how good the heart is until a doctor lays eyes on it. I think I was waiting for someone to come and say “sorry Mackenzie the heart is no good.” After they started wheeling me back, when it kicked in, I was getting a heart.

This new heart gave me a new lease on life from going on my deathbed to thriving with a heart pump, to thriving on a new heart. It has made me realize that good things do happen.