Almost four years in the making.

In the years following the death of my son Joel, the business idea that became CareVera was evolving in front of me. Three and a half years went by before a single line of code was written.

Joel died suddenly in his sleep on February 4, 2023, just weeks after his 15th birthday. While Joel’s official cause of death was listed as “Arrhythmia of unknown origin,” we were essentially left with no answer. We engaged with the best of the best including Mayo Clinic and Boston Children’s Hospital to help investigate. Yet despite their best efforts, there was no definitive answer. Joel was one of approximately 400 children who die each year from Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC).

The investigation required Joel’s complete health history which spanned numerous providers across multiple health systems. Beyond that, we had to gather extended family health history. Each data call and record request was a twist of the knife — compounded by frustration in the difficulty of gathering each bit of information. In a world of electronic medical records, how could this process be so archaic? Technology has evolved entire industries, yet how we manage medical records was stuck in the 2000s with the likes of Blackberry, Blockbuster, and flip phones.

Then I began dealing with my own chronic health issues. I bounced from rheumatology to gastroenterology, endocrinology, cardiology, neurology, hematology. The “million-dollar workup,” as many providers call it. In some way, I was hoping answers to my own health issues would provide some answers as to what happened to Joel. Or maybe there were some clues to help my other children or extended family.

Through all of it, it was clear that there wasn’t a single provider that had a complete picture of my health. And neither did I. This only begged questions including:

• Why do I have so many different health portals?
• Why can’t I see all my records in one place?
• Why can’t my providers see them either?
• What’s my broader health summary, and how do I better understand what my records mean?

So I started to build my own system. I put my results into a spreadsheet with the help of AI and shared it online with my providers. Before each appointment, I’d write up my “history of present illness” so I could be efficient with the provider’s time. I learned to speak their language and not overwhelm them with reams of test results and studies. My goal was to be a better, more educated patient.

In conversations with so many others, it was clear that I wasn’t alone in my frustrations.

I had “retired” from my first career in August of 2025 after a successful exit with an AI-based cybersecurity startup. My goal was to spend more time serving and honoring Joel by growing his foundation. Jumping back into the startup world was the furthest thing from my mind.

With my background in technology and building businesses, how to bridge these gaps was obvious. My hope was that something would come along to address these challenges.

As time went by with no solution, I couldn’t escape this old Irish proverb and Proverbs 3:27:

What eventually helped tip the scales was the urging of Roberto Neyra, CareVera co-founder and friend. It had all culminated into a perfect storm of sorts.

No parent wants to experience the loss of a child. What I wouldn’t do to change my reality. Yet I have no control. I could sit in grief, or I could try to make the best of today — using my talents and experience to the best of my abilities. Our family motto has always been “Do Good.” We’ve probably said it tens of thousands of times — before getting on the bus or hitting the field. The kids know it’s not about scoring goals, getting A’s, or getting into the best college. It’s about doing the best you can with what you have.

If I had imagined a conversation with Joel today, I could hear him encouraging me and reminding me of the call to do good. I could hear him reminding me of the message from the poster that still hangs in his room today.