Published in the July 29, 2013 edition of the Winona Daily News
By Andrew Sroka
Winona teen tries to bring comfort to the sick
Xzaviar Aune is bringing a little of the comfort of home to youngsters who can’t be there.
He brings Zavy’s Lovies, his handmade blankets and pillowcases, to children staying at
the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester and Children’s Miracle Network in La Crosse.
“He has a very big heart,” his mother, Tabetha Fischer, said.
“He’s giving his heart back, in a sense.”
Xzaviar, 15, got the inspiration from his experience as a young patient. Going in and out
of hospitals, he’d always have his blanket from home. The blanket held the smell of his
house and helped relieve the anxiety he felt facing surgery and a hospital stay. It was that
feeling of comfort that Xzaviar wanted to replicate in each stitch of fabric he sews into
the blankets and pillowcases he donates to infants and children.
Xzaviar was born with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, or PPHN, and
supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). Both diseases pushed him in and out of hospitals and
intensive care units during his first few months of life. At the age of 3, he was given a
clean bill of health and the opportunity he’d been robbed of for his first few years — the
chance to be a regular kid.
For the next 11 years or so, that’s exactly what he did. Whether it was football, wrestling
or boxing, Xzaviar’s heart conditions did not affect him. then in February 2012 Xzaviar
was diagnosed with mononucleosis that triggered his heart back into SVT.
He was referred to Mayo Clinic for further evaluation. It was determined that Xzaviar
would undergo a cardiac ablation — a relatively simple procedure. His mother was told
the procedure would take 20 minutes — Xzaviar was in the operating room for five
hours.
After about four hours of surgery, Fischer was told the doctors had discovered Xzaviar
had a very rare condition — Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry Tachycardia (AVNRT) and
atypical AVNRT. This caused Xzaviar’s blood pressure to drop dangerously low while
his heart developed rapid regular palpitations. After his surgery, Xzaviar was taken to
intensive care. Two days later he was released from the hospital.
In November, Xzaviar was given an EKG to evaluate his progress since undergoing his
surgery. It was then he was diagnosed with autonomic dysfunction, a disease affecting his
blood pressure. He was prescribed medication to keep his blood pressure up, which has
allowed him to return to sports — football specifically. Last season — with the approval
of his doctors — Xzaviar played every play in every game for his Cotter Junior High
School football team.
Approaching the one-year anniversary of his surgery, Xzaviar wanted to do something
special, but he didn’t know what. He approached his mother in April with the idea of
making blankets and pillowcases for newborns and older children at the Ronald
McDonald House in Rochester and the Thus, Zavy’s Lovies was born.
His mother gave him a quick lesson in sewing and Xzaviar went to work — sometimes
well into the early morning — donating his home-sewn blankets and pillowcases in
bunches of 25.
But the most special donation was Xzaviar’s first personal delivery. When his sister,
Zoey, was prepping for an oral surgery in Rochester, Xzaviar delivered an anxious Zoey,
a pillowcase.
Xzaviar’s working toward raising $1,000 by selling T-shirts with his project logo —
Zavy’s Lovies — printed on the front. Half of the proceeds will go to the Ronald
McDonald House of Rochester and the other half will go to the Children’s Miracle
Network of La Crosse.
Xzaviar said he plans on continuing as long as he can. It will be harder to dedicate time
during the school year; but he plans on pursuing it each summer, and though the focus
has shifted to T-shirts, he will always have a stock of blankets and pillowcases available.
“That’s what giving is,” Xzaviar said. “We’ll do whatever it takes to get it done.”
Xzaviar will be selling his Zavy’s Lovies T-shirts at Sugarloaf Antiques on Aug. 10-11 as
part of their rummage sale/flea market event.
Owner Teri Corey was really receptive to welcoming Xzaviar to the event: “I think it’s
absolutely awesome. A 15-year-old being creative enough to create something like that.
To do this is amazing.”