Zay's back in the hospital - but this time to help other kids

Azayliah Perez spent four Christmases in the hospital, battling leukemia.

This year she’s back on the sixth floor of Diamond Children’s — but by choice. Rather than fighting for her life, she’s fulfilling a life’s dream.

“The kids have to spend Christmas in the hospital, so I want to get them presents,” says Zay, 9. “Some of them don’t get much.”

“Ohhh. Look at this”

Zay, along with her two sisters, mom, grandma and aunt, push a shopping cart through the aisles of a Tucson Walgreens store, picking out gifts for kids of all ages.

“I want to get a stocking for one, since they don’t have one,” her sister, Khaylina, says as she chooses a glittery stocking.

“Ohhh. Look at this,” Zay says as she picks up a Whoopee cushion. “I like this. Last time I put water in it. So when my dad sat on it, all this water came out.”

The girls laugh at the memory.

“We’ve gotta get stuff for the small kids,” their grandmother, Angie Mendoza, reminds them. “You don’t think of little kids in there, but they’re there. Remember?”

It’s one solemn reminder of why they are here. Another is Marta Gonzalez, whose daughter, Delia, died of aplastic anemia in January. She hugs the women like they’re family.

“How was school?” Marta asks Zay, who was her daughter’s close friend.

“Good, but I didn’t feel well.”

“Oh. Why? Did you see the doctor?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Got that all out of the way.”

Zay’s mom, Desiree Mendoza, shares the results of Zay’s most recent hospital visit, prompted by night sweats. The blood work didn’t show any cancer cells, but Zay isn’t growing.

The two women, part of the same sad sisterhood, hug right there in the middle of the store.

Then, like the soldiers life has taught them to be, they get back to business.

“Oh, look at these makeup sets,” Marta says. They talk about the girls at the hospital and how much they loved their makeup.

Marta hugs the girls again. “Who couldn’t love this family?”

SLOW AND STEADY WINS

When retired advertising executive Dick Keiler and his wife, Tommilee Phillips, first read about Zay in the Arizona Daily Star, they knew they wanted to help.

“We don’t normally have these reactions,” Keiler says. “We read the stories every day, and we get involved with charities, but it was very unusual for our reaction to be so visceral and specific. We instinctively felt the need to make a connection with Zay and her family.”

Keiler contacted the Star and asked to be connected with Zay’s mom. He and his wife made arrangements to meet Zay and her family at a nearby McDonald’s.

“I was prepared for a girl wise beyond her years,” Keiler says. “What I was not prepared for was a 50-year-old woman in a 9-year-old’s body.”

The families bonded instantly. Khaylina even named a doll for Tommilee.

Keiler wasn’t sure what he wanted to do at first, just that he wanted to help. Zay told him she wanted to help raise money for cancer research. So, together, they came up with a plan.

Dick asked Zay to draw one of her signature Big Head Cutie figures to put on T-shirts. He would get them printed, and Zay could sell them and donate the proceeds to the Steele Children’s Research Center. She would also be able to hand out shirts as gifts to kids at the hospital.

She drew a snail with all of her favorite symbols on it — a peace sign, a rainbow and a star. When Keiler asked her why she chose a snail, she shared the wisdom of a child who has spent nearly half her life trying to survive. “Slow and steady,” she told him, “wins the race.”

The final T-shirt design has Zay’s Big Head Cutie and the phrase, “Slow and steady wins the race. That’s the Zay way.”

Keiler and Phillips had about 150 shirts printed and delivered them to Zay. She is selling them for $14 for kids sizes and $21 for adults. So far, she has raised $200 to donate to cancer research.

“She is just a remarkable young woman,” Keiler says.

FULFILLING DELIA’S WISH

Delia and Zay were inseparable when they were sick in the hospital — kindred spirits, even though Delia was older by 10 years. They had big plans to raise money that would help sick kids when they got better.

Although Delia died in January, Zay is determined to fulfill their plans. With some help.

The Gonzalez family are active members of The Journey, a nondenominational church in the Foothills. Delia has been a big part of the church’s story, said Joe Mason, associate pastor at The Journey.

When Mason read the journals Delia had been keeping, he knew they had to help. “She was just praying that God would continue to help Zay. She loved Azayliah.”

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When Delia died, Zay remained in the Gonzalez family’s hearts, Mason said. And the church wanted to support the family. “At first, it was more because we were going to help the Gonzalezes help Zay,” Mason says. “But once I met Zay and heard her story, I got pulled into it. It’s so real what she’s doing, and her heart seems so genuine. As a church, we wanted to help out.”

The church decided to take an entire offering one Sunday and, instead of putting it into the budget, they gave it to Zay to use as she wanted. Zay knew exactly what to do with the money. She would buy Christmas presents for the kids on the sixth floor of Diamond Children’s, a place she called home for more than four years.

“It’s coming full circle, because Delia was able to be a big part in what was happening,” Mason says. “Because of Delia, we fell in love with Zay.”

EARLY Yule FOR PATIENTS

It’s a quiet Saturday afternoon at Diamond Children’s.

Zay and Khaylina, dressed in pajamas, slippers and elf hats, arrive with their entourage — mom, sister, grandmas, aunt and Marta Gonzalez. They are here to deliver toys.

Zay, Khaylina and Desiree each grabs a red wagon overflowing with gifts, and the group makes its way to the elevator.

“Being here brings back certain feelings,” Desiree says. “It kinda gives me anxiety, but I also feel happy, and it’s homey.”

“There’s something sacred about being in the hospital with your family that you don’t have in the real world,” Marta agrees. She reminisces about all the family being there together in the hospital, and the appreciation she had for each person. “It’s like, in here, we live life like we’re supposed to.”

Heading to the sixth floor reminds Zay, whose cancer was declared in remission April 10, that she’s not in the clear yet. “I don’t want to go back,” she says, “but I have to think I might have to someday.”

THE SIXTH FLOOR

It’s like a family reunion when the hospital staff sees Zay and her family. They all hug and compliment the girls’ festive hats and PJs.

“These gifts aren’t just from us,” Zay says to a couple of the nurses. “They’re from our angel, Delia.”

Holly Dugdale, a patient-care technician leads them down the hall, where five of the 28 rooms are occupied.

She stops outside the door of Glenda Lopez, 18.

“I’ll get the pillow,” Zay says. She grabs one with a colorful, sparkly zebra print a teenage girl would love and goes into Lopez’s room.

“This is Glenda,” says Dugdale, introducing her to Zay. “They’re giving you a Christmas present.”

She smiles at Zay as Dugdale puts the pillow under her head. Zay’s dark eyes quietly observe Glenda’s reactions.

“Zay used to be a patient here. ... Zay, you want to tell her?”

“I used to be a patient here and go through chemo and cancer treatment ... I made these shirts.” Zay holds up one of the T-shirts she designed. “It says, ‘Slow and steady wins the race. That’s the Zay way.’ ”

Glenda smiles up at Zay. “Merry Christmas,” she says.

Next stop — Devon Weaver, age 8.

Devon’s too sick to get out of bed, so his mom greets Zay and Khaylina. “Zay used to be in here and, she’s bringing all the kids special presents. ... Do you want to come out and pick a toy?”

He shakes his head, no.

Zay looks at Devon, so small in his bed, then out at her mom, a knowing expression on her face. This was her not too long ago.

The boy’s mom tries to help Zay figure out what to give him. “They have Toy Story stuff, Turbo ... a star projector.”

Devon weakly nods his head when he sees the 3D Stargazer Theater. Zay puts it on his bed carefully.

“Merry Christmas,” she says to Devon in her quiet voice.

“Thank you. Merry Christmas.” The boy’s mother speaks for both of them.

One room left. A 5-year-old girl, Jaliscia Jamie Antonio.

Dugdale tells Zay the little girl likes to draw. Zay’s eyes light up. She knows just the gift — an art set.

Jaliscia watches quietly as Zay and Khaylina walk in.

“I heard you like art,” Zay says. “So I got you this art set ... and I made this shirt. My name is Zay ,and I hope you like your art stuff.”

The little girl smiles and quietly says thank you.

With the presents handed out, Zay, her family and Marta head back to the elevator. It’s been a good day, making Zay’s and Delia’s wish come true. But being at the place where Zay was so sick is a reality check.

“It helps you remember where you came from and to not take advantage ... because she was here,” her mother says.

Zay feels it, too. “It felt weird to be the person on the other side of the door,” Zay tells her mom. “But it felt good. ... It felt like I was visiting my old home.”