Mavick Olazo

Published: 7/18/2025

“I look at that photo every day and am grateful for support, encouragement and motivation to keep going.”

The photo that brings a smile to Mavick Olazo’s face is that of his caregivers in Parkland’s Congestive Heart Failure clinic encircling him as he holds a sign that says “We Miss You” surrounded by hand-written notes of encouragement.

“Stay Strong Mavick!,” “Vamos Mavick!! We will see you soon! Keep Positive!” and “We’re always in your corner!” are but a few of the sentiments that keeps the 52-year-old Olazo pushing forward.

But it has not been easy.

Diagnosed with ischemic cardiomyopathy, the heart’s decreased ability to pump blood properly, Olazo spent much of 2022 in and out of the hospital. “I remember once being in the hospital and my blood pressure numbers were so high, it freaked everyone out,” he said. “I will never forget them telling me that with those numbers I should be dead. They even had a crash cart right by the door.”

It was a tough time for Olazo. With his heart pumping at just 25 percent and his breathing becoming more labored, work was no longer an option. The strain of his disease, coupled with the loss of income put a strain on his marriage, which ended in divorce.

“I was not skinny. I was somewhere around 270 pounds. Not only was my heart barely pumping and I could hardly breathe, but the tests showed I had high cholesterol, too,” he said. “The doctor told me that I was one cheeseburger away from being a diabetic.”

A self-described “walking time bomb,” Olazo knew he need to make a change, but with his world crumbling around him, where to start proved difficult.

“I was in the intensive care unit, and I remember seeing this white light and I thought that was it. But Miss Tori [Victoria Horton, RN, Olazo’s nurse] kept encouraging me and telling me I was going to make it,” he said, choking back the tears. “She even said we weren’t going to do a DNR [Do Not Resuscitate] on her shift!”

Patients with end-stage heart failure frequently progress to the point where they require an IV medication 24/7 to stimulate the failing heart to pump enough blood to keep a person alive. Historically, these medications were only available to patients with health insurance. Patients without funding faced the difficult choice of either staying in the hospital indefinitely on the costly drip but feeling well, or to turn off the drip and go home, which often left them feeling poorly and sometimes lead to a hastened death.

Parkland had the vision and leadership to support an institution-based inotrope program where Parkland pays for the home infusion pump, some IV tubing supplies, and home IV medications for these patients without health insurance (although they must have Parkland Financial Assistance or self-pay charity discount support) to allow these patients to go home. At home, they change their own IV bags of medication and return to the Parkland heart failure clinic once a week for IV-line care, a clinical assessment, and refills of the IV medication for the next week.

In November 2022, Olazo entered Parkland’s inotrope program.

While he would not previously describe himself as a “religious guy” Olazo admits he has reached out to God for guidance. “I thank the man above, but I really don’t know where I’d be without the people in the heart failure clinic,” he said.

Olazo has seen significant changes since enrolling in the inotrope program. “Before I couldn’t carry on a conversation because I was gasping for air just to breathe and I could barely walk,” he said, describing what each day was like. “I was in and out of the hospital because this disease had taken a toll on my body. At one point I was give 3 months to live. But here I am 14 months out.”

Still, Olazo wakes each day, gazes at his priceless photo and smiles.

“You got this!” one message says. And that he does.

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