When Tita Escobar was five months pregnant, doctors broke the kind of news no expecting parent wants to hear; her baby would be born with a heart condition and might not survive past birth. After a high-risk pregnancy, baby Tony arrived into the world. Tita had mere seconds to hold him before Tony was quickly rushed into the intensive care unit. Days later, he had heart surgery to repair his left aorta.
The family came together over the hours-long procedure. Though the surgery was successful, Tony’s outlook continued to be uncertain: Doctors told Tita he would face many trials, he’d need more surgeries and sports would likely be out of the question. Tony spent the first four months of his life in the hospital, and Tita had to drive from Woodbridge to Fairfax every day to visit him as he fought for his life.
Tita has seen heart disease affect her family across generations: A decade prior to Tony’s birth, she lost her grandmother to a cardiac arrest.
As Tony emerged from that successful surgery he and his family were determined to beat the odds – and to show their community what’s possible.
As Tony grew, he was cleared to play sports, so he took to the soccer field and basketball court right away. The good news continued; Tony will likely not need additional heart surgeries. Tony’s health is a reminder of how far the treatment and technology have progressed since Tita lost her grandmother to heart disease.
The American Heart Association has long had a place in Tita’s life; she remembers participating in the Jump Rope for Heart (now Kids Heart Challenge) when she was in school, and now Tony leads the way as a Youth Heart Ambassador, sharing his story and inspiring classmates and teachers to take their heart health seriously.
At a recent assembly with kids from his middle school, Tony shared his story: “My name is Tony Brown and I was born with a very special heart. The doctors told my parents many things that I wouldn’t be able to do as a kid, but here I am, 11 years old, playing sports, running fast and needing no more heart surgeries!”
Through the Kids Heart Challenge, Tony encourages students, teachers and members of his community to learn from his story by embracing heart-healthy habits like staying hydrated and eating healthy – and learning lifesaving skills like Hands-Only CPR. He raises funds and awareness for the American Heart Association, highlighting the lifesaving research and technology this support makes possible.
Tony and his family beat the odds in part because they believed in themselves and knew that a better outcome was possible. To spread the positivity, Tony has a special mantra he likes to share: “I am smart. I am brave. I am loved. I can face my fears. I believe in myself.”
Tony isn’t slowing down anytime soon; in March, he and his mother, Tita wrote letters of support for free school breakfast for students in Virginia. In April Tony stood in front of 900 middle schoolers at Potomac Shores Middle School to tell his story. And this May, Tony and his family and friends will participate in the 36th annual Lawyers Have Heart 10K, 5K and Fun Walk, where Tony will cross the survivor lane at the finish line, to celebrate how far he has come.
As Tony looks to the future, he wants to continue motivating the people around him; he participated in a speech competition in his school district in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. His speech, highlighting how Dr. King’s words of motivation compare to his own journey, won an award. These are some of the reflections he shared:
“Dr. King once said, ‘The time is always right to do what is right.’ That means we don’t have to wait until we’re grown-ups to make a difference. Dr. King is a big role model for me because I know what it means to have faith and to keep believing in something, even when things are hard. When I was born, I had heart surgery at only one week old. The doctors told my parents I might not be able to do the same things other kids my age can do. But my mom and family had a dream. Because of their faith, love, and hope, that dream came true. I had to fight to break barriers and strive to be able to have the same opportunities as everyone else. By being kind, fair, and by believing that every person deserves love and respect, we can continue to awaken Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream.”