TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – In honor of National Youth Heart Screening Day, one nonprofit partnered with Leon County EMS to offer free heart screenings for students Saturday. <\/p>\n
Kieran Easton helped create the organization Who We Play For<\/a> in honor of his late friend Rafe Maccarone.<\/p>\n \u201cOne in 300 youth have a potentially life-threatening heart condition, so these screenings are important to prevent cardiac arrest,\u201d Easton said. <\/p>\n At 15 years old, Maccarone collapsed and died on a soccer field because of an undetected heart condition. Easton said he wanted to create an organization to prevent other students and families from experiencing that trauma. <\/p>\n More Tallahassee news:<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t hurt at all, but it could potentially save your life,\u201d Easton said in reference to the heart screenings. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the standard of care for high-level collegiate and professional sports. So, we wanted to make it available to students – all students – before they get to those levels.\u201d <\/p>\n The screenings were at the Leon County Public Safety Complex. Students from FSU\u2019s chapter of Who We Play For also got CPR training at Saturday\u2019s event. <\/p>\n Easton said the free heart screenings are not only for student-athletes.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t necessarily have to be a high-level athlete or an athlete at all to have a heart condition,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cWe want to make sure we prevent these cardiac arrests before they happen by identifying these heart conditions, getting them the follow up care they need with a local cardiologist, and then being able to return to their daily life.\u201d<\/p>\n Who We Play For was founded in 2013 while Easton was at Florida State. During the past three weeks, the organization has screened more than 2,500 Leon County students. <\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n