My Story: Part Two
Steve Maloney
In my last post, I began sharing my story to show what has motivated me in life and in my work at MACNY. Interacting with so many of you has shaped my values and fueled my passion, and I hope this gives you a clearer sense of both.
My story is just part of the equation, and I look forward to hearing yours. We can learn so much from sharing our experiences. Thank you also for the feedback on part one. I hope it added value to everyone who reads it.
Even in the most painful moments, there were positive impacts. While some of this may sound heavy, I share it with hope and encouragement.
It was incredibly difficult losing my mom, but later that year, 2003, would bring even more pain. My wife and I were expecting our third child, and we learned during the sonogram that our son had no left ventricle in his heart — a condition known as Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. As you can imagine, this diagnosis was devastating. However, there was hope through either a heart transplant or a series of open-heart surgeries in his first couple of years of life. So, we held to this hope and to our faith in God to provide a miracle.
Matthew Christopher Maloney was born on January 30th, 2004. He spent five days at the Crouse NICU before undergoing open-heart surgery on February 4th. He made it through surgery but passed away later that evening. I won’t lie — I’m not sure how I got through the heartbreak of losing my mom and my son in the same year. It threatened to break my family and derail my career. It was difficult to pick myself up and go to work, but I did. It wasn’t day to day — it was moment by moment. My wife was my rock and kept me from falling into self-pity and despair. She truly is my hero for keeping our family together. She was certainly devastated, but knew we needed to be there for our two children — and what other choice did we have? You just start putting one foot in front of the other and find a way to grow despite the setbacks.
Eventually, we realized we could help others in similar situations. We quickly connected with other couples in the community facing pediatric heart defects and learned that more research and support was needed. My wife and I began volunteering for the local chapter of the American Heart Association, advocating for more programs and priorities centered around pediatrics. We also led a support group and became key contributors to the annual Heart Walk.
My point in sharing this part of my story is that this service and mission-driven work grew out of tragedy and despair. It wasn’t easy, and there were a lot of hard days. However, when I look back on that time, some of the most rewarding and inspirational moments emerged despite the loss.
You’ll go through difficult times in your life. What can you do with those experiences, and how can you turn them into good? There is hope, and you will make it through. I encourage my clients and students to always look for the good and channel their energy towards hope for the future.
Part three of my story will focus on key professional steps that have contributed to who I am today. Stay tuned!