Franklin’s very own heart ambassador, sophomore Andrew Amante has been involved in the American Heart Association for nearly his whole life. The association has played a major role in many people’s lives including Andrew’s own family. He describes this association as a group that “funds cardiovascular medical research and educates people on healthy living in efforts to try and reduce deaths”. 

His reason for this long relationship: his brother. His older brother was born “with a heart condition essentially called Coarctation of the Aorta”. He says that this means the aorta is narrower than normal, limiting the amount of blood that the heart can pump. His brother had to go through multiple surgeries to allow the blood to travel. He says that the American Heart Association helped with the surgeries because of the research that they had done and that he wants to help the organization to ultimately help others like his brother with heart conditions.

Every year, Andrew and his family attend the Heart Walk, a fundraising event set by the American Heart Association. Andrew says the Heart walk is “set up on the same path throughout Boston where families and friends go to walk, run, bike, etc.,” the goal being to raise awareness and money for the Heart Association.

Andrew also runs an annual fundraiser at Franklin High School that is called Kan Jam for Heart, where Franklin High School students play in a Kan Jam tournament to help spread awareness for the Heart Association.

If you would like to donate to the Heart Association, to help those with heart conditions like Andrew’s brother, then please donate on the American Heart Association website at https://www.heart.org/?form=FUNELYZXFBW.