I'm honored to be nominated for the American Heart Association's Teen of Impact campaign. Alongside passionate teens across the country, I'm taking action to improve the health of our community - and I'd love your support!

Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of sudden death in young athletes. Survival depends on immediate CPR and fast access to an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Many youth sports fields still lack accessible AEDs, emergency plans, or people who know how to respond.

 I understand this not only from research but from my own life.

 I have played soccer since I was five. The field has shaped me and helped me grow as a player and as a person. I now play for Playmaker Futbol Academy and spend many weekends on fields across Arizona and the western United States. Like most young athletes, I used to focus only on the game. 

Only recently did I start asking questions that many players never consider. 

Where is the AED? Is it locked inside a building? Would anyone nearby know CPR? How long would it take for help to arrive?

The answers often worried me. 

In 2024, my mother worked with the American Heart Association on efforts to expand CPR training in schools and increase AED access. She traveled to Washington, D.C. with young athletes who had survived sudden cardiac arrest. One story stayed with me. Eleven-year-old twins, both soccer players, experienced sudden cardiac arrest caused by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. One of them survived because a parent immediately began CPR and an AED restored her heartbeat.

Later that year, my own family faced its hardest moment. 

In December 2024, my father, who had always stood on the sidelines at my games, was diagnosed with heart failure and coronary artery disease. At one tournament he walked the fields wearing an external defibrillator vest. When his heart function did not recover, he needed an implanted defibrillator. 

Seeing this changed how I viewed cardiac preparedness. It became personal and urgent.

All of these experiences came together: the stories of young athletes saved by fast action, my mother’s work with the American Heart Association, the reality of my father’s condition, and my time on fields that lacked visible emergency equipment. 

This is why I chose to become a Teen of Impact nominee. I want to help the American Heart Association strengthen education, advocacy, and lifesaving programs that protect families and athletes in every community. 

Heart disease and sudden cardiac arrest affect people everywhere. Through Teen of Impact, I hope to turn awareness into real action that saves lives. 

Thank you for supporting my work and for helping create a future where more people are prepared to help in a moment that matters. Preparedness saves lives. Education saves lives. Action saves lives.

Join my team! By joining, you can help me raise more awareness and critical funds for heart health. Scroll to the Team Roster and click "Join this Nominee".

Make a donation! 

• Starting February 6th at 9:00 AM,
• click "Donate to Nominee" to support my campaign with a tax-deductible donation! 
• The competition concludes at 9:00 PM on April 9th.