Luca Blue Cagle was born on March 26, 2022, with an undiagnosed heart condition called Pulmonary Atresia with intact Ventricular Septum, something less that 1% of babies born with congenital heart disease have. Ashley and Chris Cagle welcomed Luca at ECU Health, and shortly after his diagnosis, he was airlifted to Duke Children’s Hospital. Luca spent his life there until he unexpectedly passed away on January 1, 2023.

During the 9 months that Luca was in the hospital, Ashley and Chris stayed at the Ronald McDonald House in Durham so they could be by his side. “Without them, I’m not sure how we would have been able to be with him,” Ashley shared. “We were fortunate to be with him every day… He was a baby and needed to be with his family always.”

Luca’s two brothers, Ezra and Grayson, wanted to be there with them, but due to hospital policy, were only able to visit Luca three times. To feel close to Luca, each night Ezra and Grayson would match their pajamas to his. “They wanted to be with him, but Duke wouldn’t let them come… so every night they wore matching pajamas. Luca’s room always had music, toys, books, and a cabinet full of blankets from his brothers and friends,” Ashley recalled. “The staff at Duke loved dressing him up every night to match Ezra and Grayson.”

When Christmas came along, Ashley and Chris found themselves on the receiving end of the Ronald McDonald House Santa Room. “We have always been on the other side of things… donating or sponsoring a child on the angel tree here in Greenville,” Ashley said. “The staff told me to go to the Santa room and not to be proud, everyone was there to help. Christmas was truly magical for us, and we got to spend it with Luca as a family. RMH played a big part in that.” This full circle moment inspired Ashley to find ways to give back to the house in the future, and now they donate toys to the house in Greenville at Christmas.

One week after Christmas, Luca passed away from a heart attack no one saw coming. After his passing, Ezra and Grayson were determined to do something to remember their brother and give back to the place that had supported their family. “My sons asked my mom, Michele Mignosa, to talk to their school about helping us collect tabs in remembrance of Luca,” Ashley said. “The Tabs for Luca program was started shortly after.”

The Tabs for Luca program began at Ridgewood Elementary late in the 2023 school year. When the 2024-2025 school year began, students were excited to turn in collections they had started over the summer. Collecting tabs even became a competition among the school’s “Houses” (think Hogwarts!), with the top-collecting House earning an ice cream party at the end of the year. With the help of the Ridgewood students, families, and staff, the school was able to collect 80.29 pounds.

“Collecting tabs means so, so many things for us,” Ashley said. “It keeps us close to Luca and we know we are helping future RMH families. We know what it feels like to be a family in one of these situations of uncertainty… a small soda tab that would go into the recycling can help another family stay close to their sick child. It’s a small act that can change the outcome of someone’s life.”

The Cagle family continues to raise awareness about CHD, honor Luca, and inspire others. “Luca paved the way for many kids at Duke… He was known around the hospital as the ‘sloth baby’—slow and steady was his motto. He truly inspired so many and still continues to do so.”

They are determined to keep his memory alive. “It doesn’t matter to us which house the tabs go to… as long as a Ronald McDonald House is getting some support in some way, we will continue to collect tabs and donate as much as we can.”