{"id":2610,"date":"2026-07-02T05:05:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T05:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=2610"},"modified":"2026-07-02T05:05:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T05:05:01","slug":"his-mom-pushed-for-free-heart-screenings-then-that-test-changed-her-sons-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=2610","title":{"rendered":"His mom pushed for free heart screenings \u2013 then that test changed her son’s life"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A young South Florida boy looked perfectly healthy until a simple heart screening revealed a hidden condition that required surgery.<\/p>\n

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Now, a new Florida law requires heart screenings for student athletes, and his family says one test changed his life.<\/p>\n

Seven-year-old Jamie Merilus is a typical second grader who loves playing sports. He felt healthy and had no symptoms until a preventative heart screening revealed something abnormal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe doctors found out, and they said I needed to have surgery,\u201d Jamie said.<\/p>\n

Jamie\u2019s mom, Susana Pe\u00f1aranda, helped launch a City of Miami initiative with Nicklaus Children\u2019s Hospital to provide free heart screenings for children.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy son, Jamie, is one out of 47 cases that were found abnormal screenings,\u201d Pe\u00f1aranda said.<\/p>\n

She said the discovery was a full-circle moment because the initiative ultimately benefited her own family.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in shock, and I think it speaks to the importance of this EKG initiative,\u201d Pe\u00f1aranda said. \u201cMy son was asymptomatic. We had no suspicion. He was playing soccer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Danyal Khan, a pediatric cardiologist at Nicklaus Children\u2019s Hospital, said Jamie was found to have a hole in his heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this age, it might not present with symptoms, but later on, as your heart becomes more dilated and more tired from working overtime, it can start producing symptoms,\u201d Khan said.<\/p>\n

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Jamie had two heart procedures.<\/p>\n

But not every child gets that kind of warning, and sometimes the results can be deadly. Last year, Belen Jesuit water polo player Lucas Osuna collapsed after suffering sudden cardiac arrest. He later died from an undiagnosed heart condition.<\/p>\n

\u201cApproximately one in 100 kids will be born with a heart problem,\u201d Khan said. \u201cOut of all the organs in your body in which something can go wrong, the heart is the commonest place that something can go wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cases like these drove Florida lawmakers to pass the Second Chance Act in 2025. Starting this school year, students participating in high school sports will be required to have a one-time electrocardiogram before they compete.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I would have never had him screened, I probably would have never really known or found out in this way,\u201d Pe\u00f1aranda said.<\/p>\n

For Jamie, he is back to doing what he loves most.<\/p>\n

\u201cChase your dreams,\u201d Jamie said.<\/p>\n

When asked what her dream is for her son, Pe\u00f1aranda said she wants him to dream big.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here to support you any way that I can,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Thanks to a screening his mom helped launch to protect other children, Jamie now has the chance to keep doing just that.<\/p>\n

Nicklaus Children\u2019s Hospital offers free heart screenings at its locations. The test takes just a few minutes and involves patches (electrodes) attached to different parts of the body.<\/p>\n

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A simple heart screening found a hidden condition in 7-year-old Jamie Merilus. 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