Teen celebrates 15th birthday at Children’s after going into cardiac arrest

Jermaris Maynard has been battling heart problems since he was young, and he just celebrated his 15th birthday as a patient at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

He had his first open heart surgery when he was just eight days old and spent a month in the hospital recovering. He had another 18 months later.

After that, his family thought he was in the clear until an overseas trip in 2019 when he got some bleeding ulcers. The Maynard family came back to the U.S. and brought him back to Children’s.

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Doctors at Egleston determined he had a hematology disorder.

“We thought Jermaris’s heart problems were behind us and we were heartbroken to hear he would have to have open heart surgery,” Jermaris’ mother Ashleigh said.

In 2023, he was cleared for a third open heart surgery.

Just a few months before the surgery, he passed out and went into cardiac arrest after getting home from an Atlanta Falcons game.

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On the ambulance ride to Egleston, he coded twice and was intubated as soon as he got to the hospital. Jermaris spent three days in a coma.

“We inserted an ICD into his heart to serve as a pacemaker and prevent another cardiac arrest,” pediatric cardiologist Dr. Nikhil Chanani said.

While he was in the hospital, Jermaris turned 15 and his nurses threw him a New York City-themed party.

“We had God on our side through it all, now it’s something to share with other people,” his mom said.

He got to leave the hospital and go back home shortly after.

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