MAINE, USA — Lorenzo Caiazzo, also known as "Enzo your Friend-Zo" of Sebago, spent this holiday season with his parents, Vincent and Alysa, delivering holiday platters and waters to his medical care teams at several locations in southern Maine.
Their efforts are their way of saying thank you, as the 17-month-old gets to spend his first Christmas at home this year.
Lorenzo was born with a rare congenital heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Dr. Abby Markham, of Falmouth Pediatrics, said his heart is unable to properly pump blood to the left side of his body. At just three days old, Lorenzo had his first open-heart surgery.
"We didn't know if he was gonna make it or not ... Luckily, he's a strong boy," Alysa said.
His nickname, "Enzo your Friend-Zo," was given to him by one of his cardiology surgical team doctors during his first two-month hospital stay when he was born.
Alysa said despite the surgeries, hospitalizations, procedures, weekly doctor's appointments, and daily medications, Lorenzo has never stopped smiling.
"I don't think I've ever seen him without a smile on his face," Dr. Markham said.
Last December, he got his second open-heart surgery at Boston Children's Hospital at just four months old. He has since been in and out of the hospital over the last year with several visits to doctors here in Maine.
Lorenzo has been hospitalized twice at Barbara Bush Children's Hospital in the last two months. He still has one more heart surgery in the coming year.
"We're so glad that at this point, at his age, that he's healthy enough to be home," Diane Fossett, a registered medical assistant at Falmouth Pediatrics, said.
Vincent and Alysa also made sure to thank those who first responded to their calls for help over the last year.
"We're never sure what the outcome is once we drop them at the hospital, you know, if we've actually made a difference," Gilliam Thomas, firefighter/paramedic for Sebago EMS, said.
On Thursday at Sebago EMS, they got that rare moment of satisfaction. Philip Strike, chief of Sebago EMS, and Thomas said they've been called to transport Lorenzo more than once.
"To see the opposite side when we're not dealing with the emergency, that touches the heart and just makes it worthwhile what we're doing," Chief Strike said.
"We appreciate every day we have with him because we just don't know what the future holds," Alysa said.
Some of their baked goods delivery stops included Barbara Bush Children's Hospital, Maine Medical Partners Congenital Heart, Maine Medical Partners Falmouth Pediatrics, and Sebago EMS.
"They are always so kind and gracious towards us and Lorenzo. I love that they are always so gentle and caring and continue to ease our worry and reassure him every time he is admitted to the hospital. They go above and beyond making sure he is taken care of (and us too) ... They don’t just take care of him on a professional level they always check in with him and us on a personal level as well," Alysa said.
"I think that's the spirit of Christmas and the spirit of life and the spirit of giving," Dr. Markham said.