The Zaky® was born from our son’s fight to live.
In 2001, our son was born 12 weeks early in Houston, Texas, weighing less than 2 pounds. During his five-month stay in two NICUs—including an emergency evacuation during a hospital blackout—I discovered the profound power of touch. A nurse once explained that premature babies, as they grow, can develop an aversion to touch, and I was determined to avoid that for our son.
When Tropical Storm Allison knocked out power to the hospital, it was our touch that kept him alive. That moment changed everything.
With four engineering degrees, over a decade of experience in Fortune 100 companies, and encouragement from the NICU nurses, I redesigned the “gloves” we used to comfort our son—so other babies could feel safe and soothed, even when they couldn’t be held.
Later, we engineered The Zaky ZAK® to make skin-to-skin holding safer and easier—providing quick, quiet access to the baby at all times and serving as a backup if power ever failed again.
We also founded International Kangaroo Care Awareness Day (May 15)—now a global movement—and developed The Zaky® APP to help parents and clinicians track kangaroo care and other nurturing activities that support bonding and healing.
Today, The Zaky® is more than a product. It’s our mission: to surround every baby and small child with love, science, and safety—so they can sleep better, grow stronger, and feel deeply cared for from the very beginning.
Our story is The Zaky®. We hope it becomes part of yours.
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".