Young 15 Year Old Making a Difference in Children’s Lives

Updated: January 10, 2025

By Mike Villarreal

At seven years old, a happy and healthy Issac Garza fell ill the night before his first day of 2nd grade in 2016. Initially diagnosed with strep throat, he was given antibiotics. However, he experienced a high fever for two nights, a swollen neck, a rash on his back, and difficulty walking.

The doctor opted to admit him to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), suspecting appendicitis; unfortunately, his condition worsened to the point where he required a respirator due to fluid in his lungs.

Issac suffered two cardiac arrests and was revived after 90 minutes of CPR. He was then airlifted to the Children’s Hospital in San Antonio, where he was placed on ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation). After four days on ECMO, Issac began to show improvement; he was removed from ECMO, and, two days later, he was off the respirator and breathing on his own.

It was later determined that Kawasaki Disease was the underlying cause of Issac’s serious condition. His parents had never heard of Kawasaki Disease before the doctors informed them that Issac had developed aneurysms. They were shocked to learn that their healthy son was dealing with seven large aneurysms in his coronary arteries. At that moment, they realized that Issac had been misdiagnosed and that the disease had progressed unchecked in his body.

Even today, most people are unaware of Kawasaki Disease. Although Issac is thriving now, he must take daily aspirin for life and still experiences joint pain and migraines. Remarkably, he has never complained throughout this difficult journey. His mother believes it was his strength and courage that helped them through this ordeal. She expresses gratitude for being a complete family and notes that they have learned many lessons from their experience with Kawasaki Disease. They now do their best to raise awareness for this illness and advocate for children affected by it, sharing information through their social media platforms.

Issac has also used his experience to assist others. Upon being released from the hospital, he decided to return and share toys with the other children still hospitalized. He started Issac’s Angels Toy Drive, which, over the past nine years, has successfully provided thousands of toys to kids at their local Children’s Hospital. Continuing a generous holiday tradition for the ninth consecutive year, 15-year-old Issac Garza has brought joy to hundreds of hospitalized children and their families at South Texas Health System Children during the holiday season through his annual toy drive.

Escorted by state troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety – South Texas Region, Issac, along with his family and several Issac’s Angels ambassadors and volunteers, visited the facility last week to deliver 1,620 toys, books, and gifts. These items were collected through 24 drop-off locations across the Rio Grande Valley, surpassing his previous record of 1,600 items.

After unloading a 20-foot U-Haul filled with donations from community members, Issac, and his team went room to room to surprise patients with gifts. The remaining items will continue to be delivered to children in the hospital’s care beyond the New Year as part of the STHS Children’s Child Life Department.

Thank you to all the donors and box sponsors who have contributed their time, kindness, and generosity over the past nine years. For more information on Kawasaki Disease, you can visit www.kawasakikidsfoundation.org.
Photos from Issac’s Angels Toy Drive Facebook Page