Elizabeth and Ben Boesiger learned of their daughter’s diagnosis during their 20-week pregnancy check-in, where they were only expecting to learn the sex of their baby. 

“About one in 100 babies is born with something wrong with their heart,” says Dr. Karrie Villavicencio, a pediatric cardiologist at Children’s Hospital Colorado. “That can range from a small hole in the heart that nobody ever knows they have, to something more complex like Mazie’s heart defect.”  

Mazie was born at Children’s Hospital Colorado, where she had the Norwood Procedure—the first of three surgeries associated with HLHS—within days of being born. The second surgery, the Bidirectional Glenn Operation, took place just six months later. 

In the summer of 2020, at just three years old, Mazie returned to Children’s Hospital Colorado for her final surgery: the Fontan Operation. She stayed at the hospital for one month during her recovery. 

“This surgery is usually the hardest for them to go through,” says Dr. Villavicencio, “because she’s three years old and a three-year-old doesn’t want to be in the hospital, attached to tubes and lines.”  

For kids like Mazie, being in the hospital can feel scary and increase their anxiety. Children’s Hospital Colorado provides certified child life specialists to help ease those fears through activities, games, celebrity meet-and-greets, and more.  

“When I met with Mazie right after her heart surgery, I noticed she was very uncomfortable,” says Foster Rosemund, Mazie’s certified child life specialist. “I tried all of my usual tricks and she was not having it. [Elizabeth] and I talked about what Mazie likes at home and what we could incorporate into the hospital to make her feel more comfortable.” 

Elizabeth thought about how much Mazie loved riding her bike at home, and asked if they could bring in a Strider bike—a pedal-less beginner bike that helps kids practice balance and steering.  

“Before we knew it, Mazie was riding circles around the hallways,” says Rosemund.  

Dr. Villavicencio was surprised but pleased to find Mazie riding around the hallways during a checkup, her mom in tow with the IV and wires.  

“It’s a great way for Mazie to be able to move around and help mobilize some of the fluid in her lungs and help her sternum heal by being active…it was really helpful for her mentally and physically,” Dr. Villavicencio remembers.  

Elizabeth gives credit to the bike for reawakening Mazie’s spirit after her third surgery. “I get goosebumps just thinking about it. She has this light that was brighter than I’d ever seen. She just shone so bright. She did not let anything that she had going on stop her.” 

At the suggestion of her father-in-law, Elizabeth wrote to Strider letting them know the impact their bikes had on Mazie’s spirit.  

As a result, Strider sent Mazie a new, bigger bike, a jersey, knee pads, and gift cards for the whole Boesiger family. Strider CEO Ryan McFarland also donated 12 bikes to Children’s Hospital Colorado in Mazie’s honor.  

“Now other kids can benefit from the same thing that Mazie benefitted from,” says Rosemund. “It was a huge blessing for us to get those bikes.” 

Dr. Villavicencio says that Mazie will likely need a heart transplant at some point in her life, but for now, “she has normal oxygen levels, her heart is functioning wonderfully and I’m hoping her right ventricle continues to be as strong for many, many years to come. She has an excellent surgical outcome.”  

Now four, Mazie rides her bike around the park with big sister, Avery. They play on the seesaw. Avery pushes Mazie on the swings. For the Boesiger's, life right now is good.  

“We’re learning what post-Fontan is, and it’s awesome,” says Elizabeth. “Now [Mazie] is able to do things that she couldn’t before. She has a lot more energy. There’s more living now.”  

Alexis Kikoen is a multimedia journalist for Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach her out alexiskikoen@rmpbs.org.