COLLEGE TOWN, FL (WTXL) — Florida's new student-athlete heart screening requirement is now law statewide. One Leon County gymnast's story is a powerful reminder of why early detection matters.
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Florida's new requirement for heart screenings before student athletes can compete is now officially in effect statewide — and one Leon County teenager's story illustrates exactly why supporters say the law could save lives.
Aubrey Boyd, a competitive gymnast who trained nearly 5 hours a day, had no idea anything was wrong.
"I had no symptoms. I wasn't feeling fatigue like any of that I wasn't sick. I wasn't losing my energy more so I just had like no way of me, knowing that it could've happened without the test," Boyd said.
One heart screening changed everything. Doctors discovered two hidden heart conditions that placed her at high risk for sudden cardiac arrest. She was admitted to the ICU and underwent two procedures. Today, she has a clean bill of health.
Her mother, Ginger Boyd, said the timing of the discovery was critical.
"Had her condition not been caught when it was based on the amount of activity that she was engaged in she would've begun to lose heart functioning and capacity over time and according to the physician who actually did her ablation it's likely that she would've passed out somewhere and ended up in the emergency room and that's how she would've found out about the condition," Ginger Boyd said.
Aubrey Boyd said the experience gave her a new perspective on what the screenings actually mean.
"Before I had taken the test, I like thought it was just a normal test that the school screenings that you have at school, but after I had gone to the hospital, gotten the surgery, and was healed. I realized how much that had saved my life, and it just like saved my heart and further issues down the road," Boyd said.
The screenings take only a few minutes, are painless, and can detect heart abnormalities that traditional sports physicals often miss. Amanda Dibley, screening site director for the nonprofit Who We Play For, said 1 in 300 youth have an undetected or underlying heart condition.
Patrica Stadler, a nurse and member of Transformation Church, explained what the screenings can reveal that a standard checkup cannot.
"EKG is going to find the electrical components of the heart so we can be low in the safety thinking that, well, listen to my heart. I went to the doctor. This is more detailed," Stadler said.
Who We Play For has pushed for expanded screenings across Florida, and Dibley said the new state law is a milestone for the organization.
"We are very grateful for the Second Chance Act just so we can keep our children's hearts safe and that parents and children can feel confident and safe that when their child is out there playing on the field or in the court or participating in whatever they do, they can know that their child is safe," Dibley said.
As the statewide screening requirement takes effect, organizations like Who We Play For hope more families will understand that one appointment could make all the difference before the season ever begins.
Free community heart screenings will be held in Leon County on July 29 and again on Aug. 1 ahead of the upcoming school year.
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