Nothing But Heart

By Philip Allison

Long before he was an Arkansas Razorback, a professional basketball player or an NBA champion, Isaiah Joe was a 6-year-old boy watching his family navigate the uncertainty of having a newborn baby with a serious medical condition.

His younger brother, Jon, was born with a congenital heart defect that was thankfully identified through prenatal screenings. Within days of his birth, he underwent his first surgery at Arkansas Children's Hospital. More surgeries would follow before he reached the age of 4.

"I was only 6 years old at the time, so I didn't really understand much of what was going on," Isaiah says. "I just knew I had a brother but that I couldn't see him all that often. And that my parents were at the hospital night after night."

As he grew older, Isaiah came to fully comprehend just how much Arkansas Children's had done for his family. Now, years later, he is hoping to help other families receive the same care.

An Important Cause

Isaiah and his family, through the Isaiah Joe Family Foundation, recently donated $150,000 to Arkansas Children’s. The gift will support the Arkansas Children’s Heart Institute and efforts focused on early detection and intervention for children with congenital heart anomalies. The gift represents an opportunity for the Joe family to turn their experience into something that can help others.

"I appreciate Arkansas Children's Hospital for giving us the opportunity to give back to such an important cause," Isaiah says. "It was an easy choice, given our family's history. Our goal is really to just reach as many lives as possible.The gift came about after Isaiah organized the inaugural Isaiah Joe Family Foundation Children's Classic Golf Tournament, which was held this past summer at Oak Tree National Golf Course in Edmond, Oklahoma. The tournament raised $300,000, with proceeds split between Arkansas Children's and Oklahoma Children's OU Health in Oklahoma City.

Enid Olvey, president of the Arkansas Children’s Foundation, says that commitment to helping others was evident at the golf tournament, where Isaiah brought together family, friends and teammates around a cause that clearly matters deeply to him.

“It was a meaningful weekend that, while fun, never lost focus on the cause it was supporting,” says Enid.

Hope for Families

Isaiah's connection to Arkansas Children's dates to a time before basketball became his profession. His brother's heart condition was detected early, giving his family access to specialized care when they needed it most.

That same principle, finding heart conditions as early as possible, is central to the work the gift will support. Arkansas Children's Heart Institute provides specialized pediatric cardiac care, including fetal cardiology, which can identify congenital heart conditions during pregnancy. Early diagnosis can give families and medical teams time to prepare for a child's delivery, coordinate specialists and develop a treatment plan before the baby is born.

For families facing a high-risk pregnancy, that preparation can provide something invaluable: hope.

Arkansas Children’s President and CEO Marcy Doderer said the Heart Institute is working to expand access to fetal cardiology throughout the state, including in Isaiah’s hometown of Fort Smith.

“For a family facing a high-risk pregnancy, having access to that expertise closer to home can mean fewer hours on the road, less time away from work and family and an earlier connection to the team that may care for their child after birth,” Marcy says.

The goal is to build a statewide network connecting expectant mothers with maternal-fetal medicine physicians, pediatric cardiologists, surgeons and other specialists so families can access care closer to home.

Touching Lives

For Isaiah, the importance of that work is not theoretical. His family experienced it firsthand. Which means that giving back to Arkansas Children's is more than just philanthropy. It's personal.

"My brother, he was saved by this hospital," Isaiah says. "And because of that, we're just extremely excited to be able to give what we can and just try to touch as many lives as possible."

Isaiah's journey since those childhood days has taken him far beyond Arkansas. The former Razorback spent four seasons with the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder before recently joining the Detroit Pistons. In 2025, he was part of the Thunder team that won the NBA championship.

But despite the distance and the demands of professional basketball, his connection to his home state remains strong. For Arkansas Children's, the $150,000 gift will help turn one family's experience into opportunity for many more families.

Doderer described the gift as representing “more answers, more possibilities and more hope” for children and families across Arkansas.

For Isaiah, the meaning is simpler. His family once needed Arkansas Children's. Now, through the Isaiah Joe Family Foundation, he is helping make sure other families can find the same care, the same preparation and the same hope his family found there.

“Without Arkansas Children’s, our family wouldn’t be whole,” Isaiah says.