Our journey with The Zaky® began in 2001 when I gave birth to our son Zachary 12 weeks prematurely and weighing less than 2 lbs.
During our five-month stay in the NICU, I discovered the healing power of touch. A nurse explained to me that NICU babies often develop an aversion to touch, and I was determined to ensure Zach grew up surrounded by love and human closeness, not isolation.
When Tropical Storm Allison left the hospital and his life-support equipment powerless, it was our touch that kept Zach alive. This moment sparked my commitment to make sure his pain and struggle were not in vain, and to support other families.
We are immensely grateful to the incredible NICU teams who saved Zach’s life and to everyone who has touched his life along the way. With four engineering degrees and over a decade of corporate experience in Fortune 100 companies, I created The Zaky HUG® to comfort Zach when I couldn’t hold him or be with him. In addition, experiencing the crucial role kangaroo care played in Zach's survival, we wanted to make sure every baby is held skin-to-skin as close to their birth as possible.
Between 2006 and 2009, we engineered The Zaky ZAK® to keep babies safe while being held. In 2011, we founded International Kangaroo Care Awareness Day (May 15) to promote education and practice, and in 2024, we launched The Zaky® APP to help parents track baby activities, especially kangaroo care, and for clinicians to manage kangaroo-a-thons.
Today, The Zaky® is more than a brand—it’s a mission inspired by Zach’s journey to bring comfort, care, and connection to babies and their families. Our brand is our family’s story, and we invite you to be part of it.
I founded Nurtured by Design, leveraging my family's journey and over a decade of engineering experience working in Fortune 100 companies to apply ergonomics, technology, safety, and risk management to empower babies and parents. Today, they are evidence-based products, and hospitals around the world use The Zaky® for non-pharmacologic pain management, calming, promoting sleep, neuroprotection, and supporting love and infant development.
"With love and determination"
- Yamile
Yamile Jackson, PhD, PE, PMP
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- Zachary's mom
- CEO, Nurtured by Design
- Ph.D. Ergonomics and Safety Engineering
- Licensed Professional Engineer in Texas
- Certified Project Management Professional
- Certified Trauma Informed Professional
- Certified Professional Kangaroo Caregiver
In 2014, Oprah selected me for the prestigious Standing Ovation Award, recognizing how we turned a challenging experience into a force that lifts others.
Presented at the Toyota Center in front of over 15,000 people in Houston, Texas, this award showcased the profound impact of The Zaky® on babies and families, highlighting our mission to bring comfort and care to those in need, on behalf of Zach.
CBS documented Zachary's evacuation during Tropical Storm Allison, a pivotal event that inspired Nurtured by Design's mission. This is what really happen.
TNT later adapted his story into the movie "14:Hours", inspired in Zachary's survival. This is the Hollywood version.
In the movie, Zachary is "baby Jeremy", Yamile is "Amelia", and Larry is "Gary".