Fort Worth student named local Heart Ambassador for American Heart Association

February is American Heart Month, set aside to raise awareness about heart disease and promote heart-healthy lifestyles.

Fort Worth ISD student Ramon Rodriguez Jr. is among those spreading the message. The American Heart Association chose him to be a local Heart Ambassador, gifting him a red Hero Cape and mask.

"It was like one of the best days I've had at school," Rodriguez Jr. said.

Rodriguez Jr. was born with a rare heart condition.

"It's called Single Ventricle Hypoplastic Syndrome," Ramon's mom Nadia Aviles said. "They call it like a crisscross upside down heart."

Rodriguez Jr.'s heart condition means the right side of his heart works at about 50%. He has had 3 open heart surgeries. The first was when he was just 4 days old.

"It's not like everybody else's," Rodriguez Jr. said of his heart. But it is just like someone else he knows. "My dad, he also has a heart condition the same as mine."

"If you have a child like this, don't think that it's the end of the world," Ramon Rodriguez Sr. said. "There's a new chapter."

A chapter where the patient gets to be the hero, spreading the message about heart health.

"It was so awesome! I did not expect him to be the Ambassador of the Heart Association," Rodriguez Sr. said beaming. "It made my day, you know. It was the greatest experience for me as a father."

"I'm very proud of him that he's able to speak and kind of give that awareness out to other kids," Aviles said. "Show them even though they may not have a heart condition, how to keep it healthy."

The Centers for Disease Control has a heart-healthy tool kit here.