Donate
Mighty Mack flexing — a toddler superhero in a blue suit with red cape and gold M emblem

One Mighty Mission. Every Brave Heart.

Mack was born with a congenital heart defect. Today, while he waits for a transplant at St. Laurie Children's Hospital, he reminds us all what real superpowers look like: courage, kindness, and never giving up.

Give a Heart Read Mack's Story
1 Year young
387 Days waiting
∞ Bravery
♥ Who We Are

Born Out of Love.

We are Erica and Chad Pecora, and our world changed the day our son Macklin was diagnosed with Left Ventricular Non-Compaction Cardiomyopathy with a Ventricular Septal Defect – a rare and serious congenital heart defect.

At just a small age, Macklin underwent his first open-heart surgery at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago. It was inside those hospital walls — surrounded by beeping monitors, brave little fighters, and exhausted but unbreakable parents — that we were welcomed into a community we never knew existed: the CHD community.

“

No family should ever have to face CHD alone — and even the smallest gesture of support can mean everything on the hardest days.

The Community

We met families who had walked this road before us and families just beginning. We saw the strength it takes to hand your child over for surgery and the love it takes to keep going.

The Road Ahead

Macklin’s journey isn’t over. He still has more surgeries ahead and more care to come. But we are blessed beyond measure for the incredible team at Lurie Children’s Hospital — especially the CDU team, who became family to us.

The Mission

That’s why we built The Mighty Mack Foundation — to advocate for CHD awareness, celebrate every heart warrior, and connect the families walking this road so no one walks it alone.

Mack is our hero. Every CHD warrior is a hero. And together, we can build a community mighty enough to carry them all.

❤ Chapter One

Mack's Story

01

Born a Fighter

Mack came into the world with a rare congenital heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome. From his very first breath, he showed us he was here to fight.

02

The Cape Comes On

Already brave beyond his years, Mack has faced open-heart surgery before his first birthday. The doctors and nurses at St. Laurie's call him their "littlest superhero" — and the name stuck.

03

Waiting for a Miracle

Today, Mack is on the heart transplant list. While he waits, he giggles, he babbles, he grips every nurse's finger with a mighty grip, and he reminds his whole family that hope is a superpower too.

"

He doesn't ask why me. He asks who's next — so he can cheer them on.

— Mack's mom, Erica
✦ Our Mission

Because every kid deserves a shot at tomorrow.

The Mighty Mack Foundation was founded in honor of Mack and every child like him. We exist to lighten the load on families navigating pediatric heart disease — and to fuel the research that will one day make stories like Mack's the exception, not the rule.

Family Support

Meal cards, lodging, and gas grants for families living at the hospital.

Research Grants

Funding pediatric cardiology research at leading children's hospitals.

Comfort Capes

Every newly-diagnosed kid at St. Laurie's gets a Mighty Mack cape of their own.

Live Fundraising Progress Live
$0 loading current total…
Goal: — 0%
0 Donations received
1 Little hero supported
100% Of funds to Mack & research
501(c)(3) Tax-deductible
Room 412 Stable
Patient Mack ✦ Age 1
Status Awaiting transplant
Favorite thing Soft puppy plushie 🐶
Today's mood Heroic ⚡
✚ Mack's Second Home

St. Laurie Children's Hospital

For more than a year, Mack has spent most of his days at St. Laurie Children's Hospital — a place where superheroes wear scrubs, the IV poles have names, and every hallway has a story worth telling.

The cardiac team at St. Laurie's has become Mack's extended family. The nurses know exactly how he likes to be rocked to sleep. The child-life specialists know which lullabies calm him during an echocardiogram. The doctors know that no medical chart can capture how big this little kid's heart really is.

A portion of every dollar raised by The Mighty Mack Foundation goes directly back to St. Laurie's pediatric cardiology program — so the next family that walks through those doors finds the same incredible care that has carried Mack this far.

24/7 Pediatric Cardiac CCU
Family Housing Program
Top-10 Children's Hospital
Child Life Services
★ Join the League

Be a Mighty One

Three ways to power up Mack's mission — pick your superpower.

I

Donate

Every dollar fuels research, comfort capes, and family support at St. Laurie's.

Give now →
II

Volunteer

Help host events, assemble comfort capes, or read to kids on the cardiac ward.

Sign up →
III

Register

Become an organ donor. One decision can save up to eight lives — including Mack's.

Learn how →
◆ From the Cardiac Ward

Latest Updates

View all →
Milestone
April 28, 2026

Mack turns ONE on the ward — and St. Laurie's throws him a parade.

Doctors, nurses, and a roomful of homemade-caped supporters marched down the cardiac hallway. Best first birthday ever.

Big News
April 12, 2026

We've delivered our 3,800th Comfort Cape.

To the parents who sew them, the volunteers who pack them, and the kids who wear them: thank you. You are the league.

Research
March 30, 2026

$120K grant funded to St. Laurie's transplant rejection study.

Our biggest research grant yet, supporting work that could change outcomes for kids on the transplant list.

The Mighty Mack cartoon cast — Mack with his doctor, nurse, and surgeon team
Mini Cartoon Series

Watch Mack's Adventures

Follow Mighty Mack through heartwarming cartoon episodes — from getting his cape to rallying his team.

Watch Now ▶
✎ Sign Up

Join the League

Whether you want to volunteer, host an event, sew a Comfort Cape, or just stay in the loop on Mack's journey — we'd love to have you. Fill out the form and someone from the team will reach out within 48 hours.

✓ Monthly updates from Mack & family
✓ Early access to fundraising events
✓ Volunteer & Comfort Cape opportunities
✓ Stories from the cardiac ward

Registration Form

All fields with * are required

We respect your inbox. Unsubscribe anytime. We'll never share your info.