Before the titles, before the philanthropy, before Leah Bold Mondlick ever said yes to co-chairing the 2026 Phoenix Children’s Hospital’s Beach Ball, there was simply her son, Zane.
“Zane is an energetic kid always full of life and humor,” Leah says.
Zane loves soccer. He loves building advanced Legos. He loves numbers, money, music and math. He loves to travel and dreams big.
“He’s deeply curious about the world around him,” says Leah.
What people don’t see is how Zane’s spirit has already been tested.
Long before Leah and her husband, Josh, found themselves immersed in hospital halls, MRI appointments, and surgical decisions, they began noticing subtle things that didn’t add up.
Zane never crawled in the traditional sense… he army-crawled instead. Leah mentioned it to his doctors, but they weren’t concerned. Some infants skip crawling altogether, they explained. But once Zane finally began walking, he often stayed on his toes.
“At first, it seemed like a phase, but when it persisted, we grew concerned.”
This was during COVID, and guidance was limited. They were told to remind him to walk on his heels. So they did. And then came the tiredness.
“Zane slept a lot. That level of fatigue felt alarming and didn’t seem consistent with his age or personality.”
In 2021, they began physical therapy at home, hoping repetition and time would help Zane walk flat. When progress stalled, they were referred to Phoenix Children’s Hospital to discuss Botox injections in his calves to help release the tight muscles. That physician immediately contacted the Chief of Neurology at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Dr. Bernes.
“Dr. Bernes called us the next day, saw Zane, and scheduled an MRI several months out,” Leah says.
But within weeks, Zane began to decline rapidly. He struggled to walk. He slept excessively. The MRI was rushed.
Leah remembers the report.
“Dr. Bernes told me Zane had a Chiari malformation and a syrinx - a fluid buildup within the spinal column - and that he would need surgery immediately,” she says. “A neurosurgeon would be calling later that day, and surgery would be scheduled within the week.”
Zane was four years old and preparing for his first surgery. The family reframed the experience in a way he could understand.
“We told him only superheroes can do what he is about to do,” Leah says. “That’s when Super Z was born.”
Friends showed up immediately. Shirts were made. Messages arrived from Super Z from outer space to give Zane confidence going into appointments. After surgery, Super Z even appeared in person. When Zane had a police themed birthday party, Phoenix Police arrived with multiple cars and a special delivery bag of goodies.
“The community came out for our family,” Leah says.
Zane’s first surgery took place at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. He was hospitalized for four days.
“Which felt like forever,” Leah says.
Despite the incredible fear and apprehension that comes with neurosurgery, their experience with the neurosurgery team was overwhelmingly positive. Zane recovered well, but the issue with his heels remained.
For nine months, he worked with an exceptional physical therapist through PCH who dedicated herself to helping him walk flat. When it became clear that therapy alone was not enough, Leah and her husband began seeking answers from a broad range of physicians.
That search sent the family across the country, from New York City to Texas, seeking clarity.
“The journey felt less like a straight path and more like slowly untangling a ball of yarn… Pulling one thread at a time, discovering twists and turns as we went.”
In 2023 alone, Zane underwent approximately five MRIs, countless X rays, multiple motion lab studies, and more evaluations than Leah can easily count. Doctor visits became such a regular part of life that Zane once looked up and asked, “Is this my 100th doctor appointment?”
“That was really telling,” Leah says.
The fear and apprehension from the information they received was simple and universal.
“What would Zane’s outcome be after treatment?” Leah says. “How would this affect his life? How would this impact our family as a whole?”
She doesn’t describe that time as grief, but there were moments of quiet questioning.
“We asked ourselves many times, why Zane? But what we’ve witnessed instead is a child who has developed a level of resilience that many adults never reach.”
The hardest part, she says, was decision making for Zane’s care.
“You have to rely on the information given, trust that you’ve asked the right questions, and lean on faith to make time sensitive choices,” Leah explains. “All parents make hard decisions, but medical decisions are different. Time matters, and the stakes feel enormous.”
Advocacy became essential.
“With everything we have been through, you must become an expert with any diagnosis. You must read, ask questions, and make sure you have clear answers and a path of treatment with the doctors.”
Not because parents know more medicine, she adds, but because they know their child best.
Being in hospitals with all her children changed her perspective forever.
“When I felt like the world around me was falling, I was always quickly humbled when my family got to walk out of the hospital while other families never get to leave. We always remind ourselves that we are the lucky ones.”
Zane’s second surgery performed at PCH focused on addressing his persistent toe walking. He underwent Achilles lengthening surgery on both legs and had to learn to walk again. He was casted for two months and then placed in walking braces. Doctors told the family recovery would take twelve months and that Zane would likely be in braces for six to twelve months.
Zane had other plans.
He woke up early before school and committed to intensive physical therapy, three hours a day, seven weeks in a row. He beat most odds and was out of braces in just four months.
“Denise, his physical therapist, worked with Zane before surgery, while he was casted, and after. Zane formed a special bond with her, and that relationship played a tremendous role in his recovery.”
Throughout it all, Zane asked one question at every appointment.
“When can I play sports?”
The answer was always the same. Not yet.
“He would ask at every appointment,” Leah says. “And the doctor would say, ‘Oh Zane, you still need to recover. You can’t run.’ That was too long for Zane.”
Last spring, Zane tried out for Phoenix Valley Soccer Club owned and operated by former pro, Mike Enfield. Leah didn’t know what the outcome would be.
“He poured his all into the tryout.”
One year after learning to walk again, Zane scored his first goal. It happened the weekend after his one-year post surgery follow up.
“It brought tears to my eyes. He literally had to learn to walk again, and here he was on a team. So thankful for the Coach Mike and his soccer club."
Zane’s resilience has continued to amaze her. After his neurosurgery, he never complained about his head. The IV bothered him more than anything else. During his orthopedic recovery, he never complained about his casts and even managed to destroy them by doing things he was absolutely not supposed to do, including playing soccer while double casted below the knee.
“I often say he is my hero. He is much stronger emotionally than I am.”
Today, you would never know what Zane has been through.
“He doesn’t want to live in what was… but what he is today.”
That perspective, shaped by everything her family has endured, is what has drawn Leah so deeply into Phoenix Children’s Hospital and her role as co-chair alongside Stephanie Sandell for this year’s PCH Beach Ball.
“Giving back has always been my purpose. I grew up in a very philanthropic family, but being involved with PCH is personal.”
The PCH Beach Ball raises funds for the Hope Fund, which supports state of the art equipment, cutting edge research, and family centered services like Child Life, which helps children like Zane before, during, and after surgery.
“No donation is too small,” Leah says. “It takes around $2.7 million to operate the health system daily. Doctors and staff work tirelessly to treat over 250,000 children a year.”
The 2026 theme, Sunset in Monaco, will transform the Arizona Biltmore into an evening inspired by Monte Carlo, complete with dancing, cocktails, and a casino atmosphere.
"The goal is to raise over a million dollars."
Leah returns to one truth again and again.
“Keep your head above water. Smile in front of the tears.”
Zane is proof of that. Not because the journey was easy, but because he never stopped moving forward.
beachball2026.raiselysite.com (3/28/26)