About Us

Our Story

The Heart of Zion Foundation was a vision that God placed on my heart in 2018, when my son, Zion was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Failure at the age of 10. Life as we once knew it quickly changed before our eyes. I watched Zion go from being an athlete in football, softball and basketball to being this little boy attending dialysis 3 days a week for 3 hours each treatment. Zion was such a trooper during this process. Zion never complained or question God about his diagnosis. Zion’s strength literally is what kept me mentally capable of caring for him and myself. Zion was able to maintain AB Honor Roll and was inducted into The National Beta Society. In February 2021, God made provision for the vision he had given me. On March 22, 2021, The Heart of Zion Foundation, Inc was officially certified with the State of Georgia.

Meet the Founder

Melissa Dyer is a wife, mother and grandmother originally from Collins, Ga who currently resides in Covington GA. Melissa worked for the State of Georgia for over 20 years servicing families with several state agencies such as GA Department of Family & Children Services, GA Department of Juvenile Justice and GA Department of Labor. She always had a big heart on helping others and in fact, she is a firm believer that in order to help a person through their journey, you should have a direct path on getting there yourself. On October 24, 2018, her son Zion was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Failure at the age of 10. She knew nothing about children with kidney disease and in fact this was her first time hearing it. Melissa had to learn how to live life as a caregiver to her son who was just diagnosed with a terminally ill disease. As mothers, you care for your children daily especially when they are sick with a cold, sore throat or ear ache but this was on a totally different level. Life as they once knew it suddenly changed. In April of 2018, God allowed her to step away from the State of Georgia & pursue her dream as
an entrepreneur. God was preparing her to walk into her true calling. Melissa was forced to become very informative about children with kidney disease by taking notes during dialysis and adhering to what was instructed per Zion’s nephrologist. Children with kidney disease is something you never hear about until you are faced with the illness. The Heart of Zion Foundation, Inc was birthed to inform families about children with kidney disease and to be a resource for families during their journey.