Tampa Teen Raises Awareness for Heart Disease

Gavin Hughes was an avid soccer player from a young age. But his dreams to be a lifelong player came to a halt at the age of 11 when he was diagnosed with a life-threating heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. “It is the most common cause of cardiac arrest in children and adolescents, and usually these cardiac arrests would occur on the athletic field such as a middle school or high school competitive soccer game or basketball game or football game,” said Kelvin Lau, M.D., pediatric cardiologist at Pediatrix® Cardiology Associates in Tampa, Florida. Dr. Lau added that, like most diseases, early detection is the key, but it’s one thing to hear it from a doctor and another to hear it from a friend or classmate. “Gavin, I actually really commend you. I don’t have too many patients like you that are really out there willing to put themselves forward and trying to contribute to protect other kids.”

View the full story on WFTS-TV