For Rays prospect Kyle Manzardo, mom’s health is a major concern

ST. PETERSBURG — The first invitation to major-league camp is a key step and a big stage for any prospect, and Kyle Manzardo certainly is aware of the eyeballs and expectations on him.

But as he takes his swings at impressing his Rays bosses, Manzardo’s thoughts occasionally drift some 2,800 miles away to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where his mother is awaiting a phone call to save her life.

“I think it’s in the back of his mind,” Manzardo’s father, Paul, said. “I don’t know how it wouldn’t be in the back of his mind, because most boys, they’re attached to their moms.”

Windy Manzardo needs a new heart, the result of cardiac sarcoidosis, a rare autoimmune disease that creates inflammation and has caused enough damage that a transplant is necessary.

During the offseason, Kyle, 22, lived at home, so after his workouts he would spend the rest of the day at home with her. Now, he is limited to text messages, phone calls and occasional FaceTime visits.

“We’re working through it,” said Kyle, the Rays’ 2021 second-round pick from Washington State. “For now, it’s good. For now. … I call her pretty much every day, check in, see how everything’s going.

“But, yeah, it’s been tough.”

Informed knowledge

Windy Manzardo, who turned 50 on Valentine’s Day, first realized something was wrong in November 2021, when she felt irregular heart palpitations while she was working at the Kootenai Health medical center — as a cardiac nurse.

That irony is not lost on her, as she often says it is “a blessing and a curse” to know exactly what each test is for and what each result means.

“She’s been a cardiac nurse her whole life, so it’s just weird,” said Paul, her husband and father to Kyle and his younger brother Marcus. “It’s right in her wheelhouse. She knows everything about it. She knows what she needs to do, what not to do. But now she’s in the middle of it. So it’s just crazy that it happened to her.”

Initial scans and testing showed a heart rhythm issue, or arrhythmia, known as ventricular tachycardia, and indications of damage to her heart. About six months later, the sarcoidosis diagnosis was made.

She has been in and out of hospitals and on and off different treatment regimens since, using an external defibrillator, then having one surgically implanted. She also has a pacemaker.

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This past November, there was a major scare at their house. Windy’s defibrillator went off repeatedly — roughly 19 times, Paul said — and with such force in trying to restore her normal rhythm it lifted her and two friends (also cardiac nurses who were with her and trying to keep her from hitting her head on the wall) off the ground.

“It’s probably the worst thing I’ve ever witnessed,” Paul said.

Paramedics took Windy to the Kootenai emergency room, then she was transported via Life Flight helicopter to a bigger hospital in Spokane, Washington, where she stayed more than a week and prepared to say her goodbyes.

“At that time, we didn’t think she was going to make it,” Paul said. “Windy had a real good conversation with Kyle one-on-one. And then she also had a good conversation with Marcus.

“She just laid it out. I mean, really eloquently and strong, and gave both boys what she hoped that they continue to follow their dreams and aspirations, continue to work hard. You know, a ‘be optimistic, be positive’ type of thing, and we’ll get through this.’”

Kyle said he is doing the best he can under the circumstances, recalling that conversation as one of the toughest moments.

“It was one of those situations where she didn’t want something worse to happen and then leave things unsaid,” he said.

After that November incident, Windy’s doctors noted there were signs of heart failure and suggested a transplant was needed. She was placed on the waiting list and now is in the Status 4 category, but there is no way to know when, or if, a match will be made.

“It’s out of everybody’s hands,” Kyle said.

The waiting game

Because Windy is on the list, she has to remain in the area, within three hours of the Spokane hospital in the event there is a match.

And she has to have people with her who know the protocol, which is why Paul in December quit his job as baseball coach at Lake City High after seven seasons.

It’s also why he, Windy and other family members are watching on TV and the Internet as Kyle tries to work his way closer to the majors. Monday, Kyle hit his first homer. (Paul said he has started thinking of contingency plans and a replacement caregiver so he can be there if/when Kyle gets called up to the majors, and “(Windy) wants me to do that. I will not miss that.”)

Given Kyle’s performance so far — he is hitting .330 with 24 homers, 89 RBIs and a 1.043 OPS in 106 games through the Double-A level — the Rays certainly have noticed.

“Since he was drafted, he has been one of the top three performers in the entire minor leagues,” Rays general manager Peter Bendix said. “He hit the ground running, and as he’s progressed up each level he hasn’t slowed down, and that’s really unusual for anybody. And the fact that he’s been able to do that while also dealing with off-field things is even more impressive.”

For now, Windy is doing OK, able to go out for short trips. Paul is teaching at North Idaho College. Marcus is playing at Spokane Falls Community College and hoping to be a physical therapist. And Kyle is trying to swing his way to the big leagues.

“(Windy) and I talk at night sometimes, and we’re, like, blessed with what our two boys are doing and are like, ‘Oh my goodness, this is awesome,’” Paul said. “And the other side is like, ‘S--t, we’re dealing with this, too.’ It’s just bizarre.”

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