NAU News

May 8, 2019 by NAU News 2 Comments

Benilde Garcia remembers sitting on the bleachers at her high school graduation watching, through tears, a few hundred of her classmates walk across the stage in their caps and gowns, wishing she could be up there with them.

During her junior year of high school she got pregnant and gave birth to a boy. Despite plans to stay in school, her son was born with health issues that required her full attention. She dropped out a semester before graduation and gave up her full-ride college scholarship.

She later earned her GED and began taking classes at Yavapai College, but each time she tried to work toward a college degree, something happened that left her having to choose between her children and her education. The decision to keep putting her education on hold was easy—family always comes first.

Then in 2013, she was passed up for a job simply because she didn’t have a college degree. By then, her son had graduated from Northern Arizona University and her daughter was almost done with high school. It was time to give it another go.

Garcia and her baby Daniel — Garcia poses with her toddler son Daniel.

“NAU had exactly what I needed: a hybrid program in applied human behavior that fit perfectly with my work schedule,” Garcia said. “To sweeten the deal, I knew one of the on-site administrators, Nancy Jensen, from working with her in the past. She was instrumental in inspiring me to enroll.”

Following in the footsteps of her oldest son, Garcia registered for classes at NAU’s Prescott Valley campus. Determined to finally earn a degree, she wasn’t going to let anything get in her way. Then, life threw her some curveballs.

Within a 30-day period, her home was burglarized, she lost a job that she loved and was forced to move.

“Going to class at NAU with instructors and classmates that I had grown to love and immersing myself in quality and relevant coursework grounded me and strengthened my resolve to continue on.”

This time, though, her education was the top priority, and she persevered.

Garcia (far right) poses with classmates and Professor Scott Freitag in her last class at NAU.

“Beni Garcia is a natural student, she just didn’t know it,” said Jensen, associate director of the Yavapai Masters of Public Administration program. “With encouragement, I have seen Beni grow as a person and as a professional. For many years, she was unable to fully advance at work because she did not have a bachelor’s degree. Now that she’ll have a bachelor’s degree in hand, Beni will excel in her chosen career of serving children and families, and with encouragement, seek her master’s degree too!”

Garcia, who graduates summa cum laude Saturday morning, already has several job opportunities—opportunities she said would have been out of reach without a degree. She hopes to earn a master’s degree and encourage and empower all people, especially children and families, to recognize the resiliency, hope and healing that is living inside them.

“I wasn’t sure I could do this, but it’s finally my turn to walk across the stage,” Garcia said. “Somebody pinch me.”

Carly Banks | NAU Communications
(928) 523-5582 | carly.banks@nau.edu

May 8, 2019 by NAU News 3 Comments

Sometimes, it takes hitting rock bottom to realize it’s time for a change. In Eric Lynch’s case, it was almost dying for the third time.

Lynch, who grew up in Tucson, was the poster child of a good kid. He stayed busy with team sports—soccer, basketball, football and volleyball—and took part in orchestra, marching band, concert and jazz band throughout school. He enjoyed learning and was a good student. Then, during his sophomore year of high school, he was introduced to drugs.

He went from smoking weed for the first time to being an intravenous heroin addict within a year. For the next four years, drugs consumed his life. He spiraled out of control.

He was arrested more times than he can remember, spent time in juvenile detention, was suspended and expelled from school, spent his teen years on and off probation and was sentenced to house arrest with an ankle monitor. Despite multiple attempts at in- and out-patient rehab, he relapsed every time, eventually dropping out of high school entirely.

His addiction led to homelessness, sleeping on “friends’” couches, with a shallow existence and no foreseeable future. It took a third overdose and near-death experience for him to realize things needed to change. He might not be so lucky the fourth time.

Lynch called his parents—he was finally ready to come home.

Medicine helped him deal with withdrawals, and he slowly regained control of his life. He began exercising and switched to a plant-based diet, losing almost 90 pounds as a result.

He got his GED, enrolled in classes at a community college and worked a steady job managing a local restaurant while he saved up money to attend a university. He wanted to stay in state, and after visiting Northern Arizona University’s campus, he knew this was where he belonged.

Lynch reviews footage with fellow film makers.

He enrolled in communication and creative media and film classes.

“I knew hard work before coming to NAU, and I knew suffering before coming to NAU, but I didn’t know how much those experiences would apply toward my success at NAU,” he said. “When I needed to take 20+ units in a given semester, my previous experience working 50+ hours a week at a restaurant week in and week out gave me the ability to work hard every day in my classes knowing I was capable of incredible amounts of work. When I was sitting in the library until midnight or later, writing essays and taking quizzes I didn’t particularly want to, I would reflect on how grateful I was to be able to get an education, to be alive, to be on my own, to be in this position to succeed.”

I’d much rather be writing a 12-page essay on rhetorical criticism in the library at 2 a.m. than sitting in a jail cell suffering from withdrawal symptoms of a drug addiction.

During his time at NAU, Lynch has had the opportunity to travel and produce documentary films in other countries. He’s directed several films that have won multiple awards and was the president of the student-produced TV station, UTV62. This year, he was named a Gold Axe recipient and was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.

He will graduate Saturday morning with a dual degree in Creative Media and Film and Communication Studies. He will continue his education at NAU this fall as he pursues a Master’s in Communication with a documentary studies emphasis.

“By completing two bachelor’s degree, all whilst maintaining a 4.0 GPA, I have proved to myself and to the world that I am not my past mistakes. I am better than them, and I have grown and learned from them. Everyone in this life deserves a second chance, I am living proof of that, and graduating this May is the symbolic embodiment of what I have been trying to overcome for the last decade of my life.”

One month after graduation, Lynch will receive yet another endorsement for which he’s worked so hard—his 10-year sobriety chip.

Carly Banks | NAU Communications
(928) 523-5582 | carly.banks@nau.edu

May 3, 2019 by NAU News Leave a Comment

The last cabinet meeting of the academic year was held Thursday.

President Rita Cheng started the meeting by expressing her gratitude to all who helped make Northern Arizona University’s inaugural Giving Day campaign, which concluded Wednesday at midnight, such a success.

She also gave an update for several dean positions on campus. Four candidates for the position of dean of the College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences are visiting the Flagstaff Mountain Campus this week and next week. Cheng encouraged everyone to participate in the open forum portions of the interview to assist in the selection process.

“We also have been talking with potential interim deans for The W. A. Franke College of Business, and hope to hold interviews via Zoom with candidates next week,” she said.

Cheng thanked Interim Provost Brian Levin-Stankevich for his work over the last year, who will be leaving NAU May 11. Diane Stearns will assume her new position as provost on May 12.

The recently appointed diversity fellow, Gabe Montaño, introduced himself to the cabinet.

“I am really excited for this position and honored to be here to serve in this role,” he said. “I would like to thank the university for this opportunity, and am looking forward to meeting all the commissions and celebrating the Diversity and Equity Awards tonight.”

Krista Allen, director of University Events, shared numbers for the upcoming spring commencements with the cabinet—more than 5,900 graduates have applied to graduate (100 more than last year), and each ceremony will have approximately 1,000 graduates in attendance. More information on the graduation ceremonies can be found online.

“I encourage everyone to participate in commencement,” Allen said. “Whether you volunteer to hand out programs, marshal or help distribute license plates, it’s so wonderful to celebrate our students’ successes first-hand.”

An email about commencement traffic changes will be sent out next week; updates also can be found on the NAUGo app.

Joanne Keene, executive vice president and chief of staff, reminded cabinet members that applications for the University Leadership Program are due by 5 p.m. May 3. Faculty and staff at every level are encouraged to apply or nominate a coworker for the program, which is designed to help prepare the next generation of higher education leaders. About 25 applicants will be chosen to participate in the 2019-20 cohort.

“Our team put together a great program,” Cheng added. “The University Leadership Program focuses on understanding the complexities of the university and teaches individuals how to interact with different leadership styles across campus. I highly recommend it for all.”

Dan Okoli, vice president for Capital Planning and Campus Operations, and Steve Vedral, director of planning, design and construction, gave an update on the status of major campus projects.

The Science Annex renovation is nearing completion. With the exception of updates to the stairwell, construction will be completed by the end of May. Okoli encouraged cabinet members to check out the new space—tours of the building can be scheduled by contacting Stephanie Bauer, associate director of Planning, Design and Construction.

The renovations to Prochnow Auditorium are scheduled to wrap up next month.

Okoli also informed the cabinet of plans to help improve the traffic congestion at the intersection of McConnell Drive and Pine Knoll Drive. He and his team are working with the city and NAIPTA to figure out how best to improve traffic flow and prevent NAU and city buses from bottle-necking.

At the Spring Campus Forum, Cheng announced a three percent salary increase would be issued to eligible personnel. Josh Mackey, chief human resources officer, and Roger Bounds, vice provost for academic personnel, provided additional details on the increase and how faculty and staff would be affected.

“When I arrived at NAU, it was made known to me immediately that this increase was top priority,” Mackey said. “After going over the numbers, we presented the possible percentage increases to President Cheng. Though the three percent increase was the maximum the budget would allow, she wanted to make it happen.”

Additional information regarding the faculty salary increase and the staff salary increase can be found online.

Vice President for Development and Alumni Engagement Rickey McCurry provided the cabinet with a comprehensive recap of Giving Day.

“We went into this campaign with a goal of raising $100,000 from 500 gifts,” he said. “As of midnight, our preliminary numbers show we have raised more than $258,865 from 1,090 gifts—224 of which were from first-time donors. We are thrilled!”

Donations were collected from throughout the world, including Uruguay, Switzerland and other parts of Europe.

“We look forward to celebrating today before starting on next year’s campaign tomorrow.”

In her report, Chief Institutional Data Officer Laura Jones went over new and continuing awards, student enrollment data and the budget report.

“Though we are up in almost all of our enrollment numbers, we still have a ways to go until we’re back on track,” said Jane Kuhn, vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs. “Because we didn’t hit our freshman enrollment targets last year, our numbers this year are still soft.”

It was noted that the University of Utah and several universities in Washington are now part of the Western Undergraduate Exchange program, meaning NAU has much more competition when it comes to recruiting these students.

“Another challenge we’re facing is that students are applying to and visiting three to five different universities,” Kuhn said. “We need to make sure that NAU stands out.”

Vice President of Finance, Institutional Planning and Analysis Bjorn Flugstad addressed the budget, stating that we are managing expenses and will continue to monitor expenditures at the end of the fiscal year.

Mackey informed the cabinet that he and his team are still evaluating data collected as part of the Organizational Growth and Effectiveness Initiative. The group is working to create deliverables to present, and hopes to have recommendations by the end of the month.

Cheng concluded the meeting by thanking Dylan Graham, who graduates next Friday, for all she has done as the president of ASNAU.

She also recognized and thanked those attending their last cabinet meeting, including Dean Dan Goebel, Interim Provost Brian Levin-Stankevich, Academic Chairs Council Executive Director Roy St. Laurent, Faculty Senate Interim President Joe Wegwert and Francisco Vélez-Torres, dean of the College of Business and Administration for the CETYS University System, who was at NAU this year participating in the ACE Fellows Program.

May 3, 2019 by NAU News 7 Comments

May 3, 2019

By the age of six, Mersha Bayu Kisiel had lost both his parents.

After his father’s death, he and his siblings were forced to move eight hours southeast—from the Gojjam region of Ethiopia to the country’s capital, Addis Ababa—to live with their aunt. For two years, his aunt sacrificed all she could to provide for her nieces and nephews, but it wasn’t enough. She had to give them up for adoption.

Kisiel was sent an orphanage in the city, where he would remain until fate found him a family three years later. Out of the four million orphans in Ethiopia (200 of which at his orphanage), the Arizona couple looking to adopt chose him.

“I was beyond ecstatic to find out that I was being adopted by a wonderful family from America, though I knew that would mean a completely different life,” he said. “Moving to a country with a new language, food, culture, family and atmosphere would not be easy.”

With his new family in hand, he embraced the change and moved to Phoenix.

Kisiel (left) poses with his adoptive parents and brother.

He started high school, made friends, ran track and field and excelled academically. Then, came time for college—something he hadn’t even considered in his wildest dreams.

With the help of her parents, he narrowed it down to two schools: University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University.

“I set up visits to both places and I happened to visit NAU first. After visiting the campus and meeting people, I fell in love. I knew that I would fit in, and the people I met all seemed to care about students and student success. At the end of the visit, I told my mom to cancel the visit to U of A—I knew I wanted to be a Lumberjack.”

Like most college experiences, Kisiel had ups and downs. At times, he felt overwhelmed by his workload and called his mother in tears, looking for words of affirmation and encouragement.

“As difficult as college was at some points, I was determined to finish and finish successfully. I want to make those people that love and care about me, who sacrificed everything for me to be here, proud. For some, a college degree might not mean much, but to me, it is everything.”

Kisiel, who is graduating with a degree in fitness wellness, is the first in his biological family to attend an institute of higher education, let alone graduate.

He plans to be a health coach and earn a master’s degree in public health or exercise physiology, but not before traveling to his home country to visit his friends and family and thank his aunt in person.

“She still hates herself to this day for being forced to put me up for adoption, but what she does not understand is that because of her, new doors and opportunities opened up for me. I would not be where I am today if it was not for her.”

Carly Banks | NAU Communications
(928) 523-5582 | carly.banks@nau.edu

April 25, 2019 by NAU News 3 Comments

April 25, 2019

With more than 50 miles of off-street trails, a silver-level rating by the League of American Bicyclists and a variety of sustainable riding events throughout the year, it’s safe to say Flagstaff is a bike-friendly town.

But bike safety here, as in cities of all sizes throughout the world, remains a looming concern. With an increase in the popularity of biking, communities are investing more in bicycle infrastructure, and transportation professionals must address the inevitable conflicts that occur when multiple modes of transportation converge in the same spaces.

Edward Smaglik, professor of civil engineering at Northern Arizona University, has been working with Portland State University since 2014 on a project to help improve guidance for the implementation of countermeasures for bicycle-motor vehicle conflicts at signalized intersections.

As one might guess, most bicycle-vehicle collisions occur at intersections. A common accident observed at intersections is a “right-hook”—when a right- or left-turning vehicle collides with a through bicyclist.

Common methods to improve bicycle safety include roadway design and traffic signal treatments, but studies on the latter are limited, and cities do not have the funds to invest in treatments without substantial research on the matter. In the instance of a “right-hook,” allowing a right-turning vehicle at a different time can enhance safety for cyclists and pedestrians making a through movement on the same side of the street.

Right hook depiction — A depiction of the “right-hook”

Smaglik’s study proposed various signal timing treatments, including: exclusive phasing—separating vehicle and bicycle into different phases; leading bicycle intervals (LBI)—restricting traffic for a few seconds at the beginning of a phase; and split-LBI—restricting right turns for a few seconds at the beginning of a phase, with immediate and concurrent green for bikes, pedestrians and through vehicles.

“I think the poor choices made by a small group within the biking community provide an avenue for those that don’t cycle to discount the legitimacy of cycling as a mode of transportation, thereby reducing resources allocated to bicycle infrastructure,” he said. “But biking is an important sustainable mode of transportation, even for those folks who have no desire to ever ride a bicycle. If everyone ditched their vehicle for a bicycle, the environment improves for all. Work such as this, which provides guidance for practitioners to implement countermeasures that improve the cyclists’ experience, move us toward that end.”

The study evaluated various signal timing treatments using video-based and microsimulation analyses. For the video-based analysis, footage was collected from intersections in New York City, Portland and Phoenix.

The results of the presented study recommend mixing zones or traditional concurrent signal timing for areas with low volumes of bicycles and turning vehicles. Medium- to high-volume areas would benefit from LBI or split-LBI treatments, but collision risks still exist after the release of turning vehicles during the later portion of a green phase. Exclusive bike phases are recommended at high-volume intersections to minimize or eliminate windows of conflict, but the greatest delays are experienced by all users with this type of signal treatment.

“I would like to see an increase in implementation of countermeasures for bicycle-motor conflicts at signalized intersections,” Smaglik said. “By providing implementation guidance based upon empirical data, my hope is that cities that are not currently deploying such treatments will be encouraged to implement them.”

Smaglik has worked on a handful of multimodal projects over the years, including one funded by NAU where his team worked with the City of Flagstaff on an effort that resulted in bicycle-motor vehicle conflict zones along Beaver Street being painted green and another with Portland State University that provided guidance for managing agencies on the use of alternate signal control methods for serving pedestrians at signalized intersections.

Carly Banks | NAU Communications
(928) 523-5582 | carly.banks@nau.edu

April 10, 2019 by NAU News 3 Comments

April 10, 2019

Some couples claim it was love at first sight.

Emily and Jon Bannon are not one of those couples.

While attending Northern Arizona University, Emily worked at Ardrey Memorial Auditorium—the university’s largest performing arts center, where various events are held. Each year, Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy rents the facility for their high school graduation. Emily was scheduled to work the graduation, Jon was scheduled to graduate.

“I remember seeing one of the graduates wearing a bandana around his head and sunglasses inside, and I remember thinking, ‘What a tool!’”

Little did she know, that “tool” would become her husband.

After graduating from high school and enrolling in NAU, Jon—who shared Emily’s passion for the arts—also got a job working at Ardrey. The two rarely shared the same shifts, and for the duration of their time at NAU, were acquaintances at best.

Then, in 2008, Emily graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and left her student job.

She had always loved kids, and when the opportunity to take a job as a nanny presented itself, she jumped at the chance. The job kept Emily busy and often required she take long trips with the family abroad. Rarely home, she couldn’t justify spending money on rent, so instead, she couch-surfed her way through summer.

She got an invitation from a close friend to stay on her couch, and Emily, basically homeless, took her friend up on it. As luck would have it, the inside-sunglass-wearing-tool was her friend’s roommate that she had heard so much about. Jon and Emily started spending time together and clicked instantly.

Two months later, they were engaged. Two years later, they were married. After which they were bombarded by strangers and family members alike with the age-old question that every newly married couple loves to hear: “Are you guys going to have kids?”

Working as a nanny only helped solidify Emily’s desire to be a mom.

“I was playing with Ella after dinner one night and her dad looked at me and said, ‘You know, for a lot of people, it doesn’t matter if they have kids or not, but it would really be a shame if you don’t have kids someday.’ Ella’s mom agreed, and I did my best not to cry because I was so touched by that.”

Jon and Emily knew they wanted to have kids, but weren’t in any rush. Two years into marriage, they found out they were unexpectedly expecting. Ten weeks later, Emily miscarried.

“Although the experience was really emotionally painful, that loss made us realize not only how much we wanted to have a baby, but that we were ready for one. Six months later, on June 1, 2013, we found out I was pregnant with Max.”

This time, Emily made it past the 12-week mark of pregnancy, and the risk of miscarriage significantly dropped. They thought they were in the clear.

At their standard 20-week check-up to find out the sex of the baby, the ultrasound technician saw something that concerned her: She couldn’t see all four chambers of the baby’s heart. She was sure it was due to how active he was in Emily’s womb, but nonetheless, she recommended the Bannons see a fetal cardiologist as a precaution.

Emily and Jon weren’t worried but scheduled an appointment just to be safe.

After a second ultrasound and some tests by the fetal cardiologist, Emily and Jon received the news no expectant parent ever wants to hear—the baby had a congenital heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), meaning the left side of his heart wasn’t growing. If Max survived to birth—a big “if” at this point—he would need multiple surgeries to reroute his heart.

“I remember lying in bed and holding my stomach, feeling Max kick and roll inside me, and feeling like I’d failed him by giving him only half of a heart. Had I done something wrong? Did I eat the wrong thing, do the wrong prenatal yoga pose, work in the wrong job?”

In the last 30 years, there have been three cases of this heart disease in northern Arizona, including Max’s, and doctors have yet to figure out the cause. Emily and Jon underwent several rounds of genetic testing in hopes of finding out why Max had HLHS, but there were no answers.

“Shit just happens,” their doctor said with a hopeless shrug.

As Emily got further along in her pregnancy, Max’s condition worsened. Six months in, the doctor told the Bannons that Max had a severe tricuspid valve regurgitation—blood was backflowing so badly that the usual three-step surgeries used to treat HLHS were no longer a viable option. The doctor gave Emily and Jon two alternatives: Comfort care to make his short life as painless as possible (without intervention, he’d likely die within the first few days of being born) or transplant. Not wanting to live with regrets knowing they hadn’t tried every possible option, they put Max on the transplant list.

“I ended up being so grateful for how active Max was in utero. He kicked like crazy, all the time.” Emily said.

While I didn’t exactly enjoy him trying to crack my ribs or tap dancing on my bladder, every little movement was a reminder that he was OK and still fighting.

Despite the odds, Emily carried Max to full-term, allowing him to grow as strong as possible and giving him a fighting chance at survival.

Her C-section was scheduled for Feb. 3, 2014—four days before her due date and one day after the Denver Broncos played the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII.

To say Emily and Jon are Broncos fans is a gross understatement. They were both grateful to have the Super Bowl to distract them, even if it went down in Broncos history as the worst Super Bowl game of all time. Despite almost putting herself in labor from yelling at the TV, after the game was over and things settled down, the gravity of the situation set in.

“I remember taking a shower that night and staring down at my stomach, my skin shifting as Max rolled beneath. ‘I love you so much,’ I whispered—my tears mixing with the water of the shower.”

I was terrified that that moment would be the last that I’d ever hold my son.

Emily and Jon showed up at the hospital first thing the next morning. After filling out a mountain of paperwork and putting on scrubs and hairnets, Emily was wheeled into surgery, hand-in-hand with her husband.

“In the movies, you see C-sections done with a large curtain hanging between the mother’s face and her dissected body. I am here to tell you that that is a filthy lie. There was a curtain of sorts, but it was more of a splash guard at best and if I’d picked up my neck, I’d have been able to see over it. Also, there was a FREAKING MIRROR on the ceiling and I did my best not to look at it because… well, no one needs to see what their liver looks like. Jon, however, had a very different view. Without even a splash guard to protect his vision, he learned that a C-section involves pulling out intestines and piling them on a nearby table in order to safely reach the uterus. Suddenly, peeing with the bathroom door open didn’t seem like a big deal.”

"Mighty" Max Bannon — “Mighty” Max Bannon

The doctors were able to successfully deliver 6.7-pound Max. Before the nurse whisked him away to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, she brought him over to Emily. His mother gave him a kiss as tears streamed down her face.

The next few days were rough for mother and son.

Max was transferred to Phoenix Children’s Hospital while Emily was left recovering at St. Joseph’s hospital—forcing Jon to split his time between the two.

“Without Max, I felt like I was missing a limb and it was so painful and frustrating to be stuck in a hospital bed watching ‘Seinfeld’ reruns when my son wasn’t with me. All I could do was work as hard as I could to make myself mobile so I could be discharged and go be with him.”

Despite knowing she could benefit from another day or two recovering in the hospital, the doctors and nurses could see how miserable Emily was without her son. With the promise that she’d take it easy, they released her. The Bannon family was reunited, though not yet home.

Max was hooked up to dozens of machines, and Emily and Jon had to fight their way through cords and wires just to touch his small, fragile body. Holding him in this vulnerable state was out of the question.

On Feb. 5, Max was put on the heart transplant list—all that was left to do was wait. For a pediatric heart transplant, the wait time was between two and three years. Emily and Jon refused to acknowledge that Max didn’t have that long.

On Feb. 7, Emily and Jon received the last piece of news they ever expected to hear: they found Max a new heart.

“I immediately started sobbing. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening, and so soon. No one ever gets a heart this fast. When I finally started to get myself together so Dr. Pophal could tell us more about the next steps, I realized he’d started crying, too.”

The day of Max’s surgery, he was not doing well. His body was falling apart and he was inching closer and closer to kidney failure. The nurses tracked his renal numbers on a monitor and the tiniest bit of stimulation caused the numbers to drop dangerously low, so much so that Jon and Emily weren’t allowed to be near Max because it was too much for him. Everyone tried not to get the Bannons’ hopes up—transplants fall through all the time, and Max’s condition was not helping the odds. But as Emily watched Max’s numbers fall, she kept telling herself that this transplant had to happen.

Emily and Max — Emily embraces Max for the first time before heading into surgery.

His life literally depended on it.

Max’s numbers began to stabilize and everything seemed to be falling into place. After the heart arrived from Hawaii, Max was whisked into surgery.

“As soon as Max was out of the room, I collapsed into tears—loud, noisy sobs that wracked my whole body. I was terrified that I’d never see my son alive again.”

The eight-hour surgery, in which surgeons had to sew pulmonary veins the size of fishing line, went well. But because the donated heart was older and larger than Max’s, his chest was left open to allow the swelling to go down over the course of the next few days. The plastic wrap that covered his tiny new heart served as its only protection from the outside world.

On Feb. 14, when Max was 11-days-old, Emily was able to hold her son for the first time—the ultimate Valentines Day gift.

His chest cavity was eventually closed. And after more than a month in the hospital, despite several scares (including both of Max’s lungs collapsing), Emily and Jon took their son home.

Today, Max lives the life of a normal 5-year-old—if you don’t count the regular doctor check-ups, the abundance of medical equipment in the Bannon house and the fact that his parents have to be extremely cautious when it comes to germs. After a transplant, the two biggest things to watch out for are organ rejection and infection. Statistically, kids who are transplanted when they are less than a month old deal with less rejection, but infection will always be a concern. A stomach bug that might make other kids feel sick for a few days can—and has—put Max in the hospital. As a result, Emily and Jon have to be extremely conscious about germs: no shoes inside the house; separate outside clothes and inside clothes; the constant washing of hands; and avoiding people who are sick at all costs.

Emily works as a freelance writer and has six books published that range from collections of short stories and historical fiction to humorous essays and post-apocalyptic fiction. Jon is a photographer and marketing manager. Both chose careers that allow them to work from their Flagstaff home so they can be with Max as much as possible.

The Bannons plan to enroll Max in kindergarten next year, but he’ll need some extra assistance. Due to his medical history, in particular, one viral infection he had for most of his first year, he’s delayed in several areas, so he works with speech, occupational and physical therapists. Since kids tend to learn best from their peers, his parents hope that when he is enrolled in school, being around other kids his age can help him progress—as someone who has been in and out of a hospital most of his life, being around large groups of kids his age is completely foreign to him.

For any parent, sending their kid to school for the first time can be emotional, but for Emily and Jon, it’s downright terrifying.

“Anti-vaxxers are our biggest concern,” Emily said. “Due to his transplant and subsequent anti-rejection medication that suppresses his white blood cells so his body won’t attack the heart as a foreign body, Max is unable to receive live vaccines such as the MMR (a vaccine that protects against measles, mumps and rubella). In theory, herd immunity should protect him if the other kids around him are all vaccinated, but idiots who ‘did the research’ on websites that sell coconut oil pose a serious threat to Max, especially considering the measles outbreaks in recent years.”

Emily and Jon were relieved to hear Gov. Doug Ducey announce that he plans to kill any anti-vaccination bill that crosses his desk. Naming Arizona a pro-vaccine state means Max’s parents have one less thing to worry about.

Until he starts school, Max will continue to live out his life’s passions. He loves books, anything electronic, taking photos and playing and listening to music.

“His favorite song is currently ‘Somebody to Love’ by Queen, which I sing to him every night before bed,” Emily said. “Last month, when Max had to go into the hospital for his annual heart catheter and biopsy, Dr. Pophal made sure to play ‘Somebody to Love’ when Max was wheeled into the lab so he wouldn’t be scared.”

Without organ donation, Max wouldn’t be alive today, and Emily and Jon are reminded how grateful they are to their donor’s family every time they look at their son.

“As the parent of someone who has received an organ donation, I just want to say how incredibly grateful I am to his donor’s family. When faced with the worst situation possible, they chose to be generous and think of others. These complete strangers saved my son’s life which, in turn, saved mine.”

“Max has given my life purpose and he showed me what it really means to be brave, strong, loving, and kind,” Jon said. “To see how much joy and happiness he’s brought to people, many of whom he’ll never meet, who have been touched by his story and his courage in his short five years on the planet is nothing short of inspiring. He truly is mighty.”

Undergoing surgery when he was just five days old, Max is the youngest surviving heart transplant patient in the state of Arizona.

For Organ Donation Awareness Month, consider registering to be a donor. Sign up to be an organ donor online.

Emily, Jon and Max pose with PCH doctors — The Bannon family poses with Max’s Phoenix Children Hospital doctors and surgeons.

Carly Banks | NAU Communications
(928) 523-5582 | carly.banks@nau.edu