Matthew Keene – Cardiac Crusader

A year ago, Matt Keene was playing football for his Kimball Union Academy team when he went into cardiac arrest. Fortunately the school had an automatic external defibrillator (AED) device on hand and Matt’s life was saved. Since then he’s taken all the spirit he once brought to the gridiron and put it into raising funds and awareness to get more of those lifesaving devices into public places. He’s lobbied in Washington, D.C., to help pass an AED law, started his own foundation, raised about $60,000 so far, and placed 14 AEDs in his hometown of Berlin/Gorham, just to get things rolling. Oh, and he still finds time to volunteer for his school honor board, proctor for his dorm and to serve as assistant coach on the JV football team. You gotta admit it, the kid’s got heart.