Cardiac patient Zander Zatylny, 12, uses his podcast to raise awareness for children's hospitals
A 12-year-old boy from Ottawa, who has overcome a rare heart condition, has been raising awareness with his podcast.
From interviewing Jimmy Kimmel to John Stamos, and now, two star players from the Ottawa Senators.
On his podcast Friday, Zander Zatylny had the chance to interview Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stützle.
"I’m just going to ask them regular fun questions about the team," says Zatylny.
Zatylny has dealt with a heart condition for his entire life. He uses his podcast to help the hospitals, which are in turn, helping kids like him.
"I’m a cardiac patient myself and I have a heart condition, and I go to CHEO," says Zatylny. "So I want to raise awareness so people will donate to children’s hospitals and raise money for new technology."
This is his second stop on a cross-Canada tour. He’s visiting all seven Canadian hockey teams to raise awareness for local children’s hospitals in their cities.
Zatylny’s parents are backing him all the way. His mom Chrystal Raymond loves how he is giving back.
"I’m super proud of him," says Raymond. "I’m proud of both my children very, very much. But I’m very proud that he has overcome his own heart conditions and he’s trying to pay it forward for what he’s gone through."
Both Stützle and Tkachuk jumped at the chance to be on Zatylny's podcast, to help him in any way he can bring more donations to children’s hospitals.
"To see how mature he is, and what he does, I think that’s just a great cause," says Stützle. "And we are really happy to be here and help him out as much as possible."
"It tells you about the character he has and we honestly had a great time," says Tkachuk. "It was a great interview. It was one of the best interviews we’ve had all year."
"It was really fun. Really great interview," says Zatylny. "They were great, they were fun, I was having fun, the questions were fun. It was just a great and fun interview."
With Montreal and Ottawa in the books, Zatylny’s next stop will be in Toronto to interview a Maple Leafs player.
You can find all of Zander Zatylny’s podcasts on his YouTube page, including his interview with actor Matthew McConaughey and professional golfer Brooke Henderson.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
18 children, 3 adults killed in Texas elementary school shooting
An 18-year-old gunman opened fire Tuesday at a Texas elementary school, killing at least 18 children, officials said, and the gunman was dead. The death toll also included three adults, according to state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who said he was briefed by state police on the fatalities.

Biden says 'we have to act' after Texas school shooting
An anguished and angry U.S. President Joe Biden called for new restrictions on firearms Tuesday night after a gunman massacred 18 children at a Texas elementary school.
Language law Bill 96 adopted, promising sweeping changes for Quebec
Bill 96, the provincial government's controversial legislation aimed at protecting the French language in Quebec, has been adopted in the National Assembly.
U.S. senator begs for gun compromise after Texas shooting
Connecticut U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, who came to Congress representing Sandy Hook, begged his colleagues to finally pass legislation addressing the nation's gun violence problem as the latest school shooting unfolded Tuesday in Uvalde, Texas.
RCMP suspend flights at Victoria International Airport after suspicious package discovered
Travellers who have a flight planned at Victoria International Airport (YYJ) on Tuesday afternoon are being warned of travel disruptions due to police activity.
Many Ontario residents could be waiting several days for power after storm
Provincial provider Hydro One said Tuesday afternoon that more than 142,000 customers in parts of Ontario were still without power after a devastating weekend storm.
Society 'may not survive' Putin's war, says billionaire George Soros
Russia's invasion of Ukraine may have marked the start of "a third world war," and Russian President Vladimir Putin must be defeated "as soon as possible" if the world wants to preserve civilization, said billionaire and philanthropist George Soros.
Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard denies rape allegations at sex assault trial
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard has emphatically denied raping a teenager and a young woman nearly six years ago, testifying Tuesday that both encounters were consensual and "passionate."
Canada sending more artillery to Ukraine, 'crucial' to fight against Russia: Anand
Canada is sending an additional 20,000 rounds of ammunition to Ukraine for the Ukrainian military to use in its ongoing defence against the Russians. This ammunition—155mm calibre, as well as fuses and charge bags—is being donated, but comes at a cost of $98 million, according to the federal government.