Published by The Daily Item: https://itemlive.com/2026/02/16/peabody-unites-for-life-saving-heart-screenings/
As teenagers lined up inside the Torigian Family YMCA on Monday, rolling up their sleeves for a five-minute heart test, two families stood nearby knowing exactly why it mattered.
At a heart screening event held in partnership with the Espinal and Facey families, more than 90 young people — with additional walk-ins pushing the total past 100 — received electrocardiogram (EKG) screenings aimed at detecting silent, life-threatening heart conditions. Who We Play For, a non-profit with the mission of “eliminating preventable sudden cardiac death in the young through affordable heart screenings, AEDs, and working with communities to honor every kid who never had the chance,” joined forces to host the event.
The event was held in memory of Freddy Espinal, a Peabody student-athlete who died at 17 following a sudden cardiac emergency during wrestling practice. His family has since become advocates for mandatory heart screenings for young athletes, backing legislation known as “Freddy’s Law.”
“We’re doing a heart screening in memory of my brother,” Freddy’s sister, Alexis Espinal, said. “We’re trying to pass this law to make this a requirement.”
She said, this has pushed many of Freddy’s friends and teammates to get screened as well.
Freddy’s story is heartbreakingly similar to that of 18-year-old Jason Facey Jr., a Framingham State University soccer player who died suddenly in August of 2024 from hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM), a condition that often goes undetected until a catastrophic event occurs.
Facey’s family has joined the Espinals in advocating for legislation that would require EKG screenings as part of high school sports physicals.