Valley Center teen gymnast shares journey as heart disease survivor

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Heart disease survivor, high school student, entrepreneur and competitive gymnast. One local 16-year-old holds many titles, all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

Gunner Friesen was born with a congenital heart condition. At just 4 weeks old, he went into heart failure and was flown to Kansas City, where he underwent heart surgery three weeks later.

“I had to wait a little bit, but I was still underweight, and I ended up having complications,” he told KSN. “I had to go on ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation), which is a severe life support, and the chances of survival were really low at the time, but luckily, I survived.”

Friesen is now recognized as a USA Gymnastics Academic All-American.

“Just because you had heart disease, just because you had life-threatening diseases, doesn’t mean you can’t make something of yourself,” Friesen said. “You can do anything. You can live a normal life.”

The title “entrepreneur” comes from Friesen’s clothing line Pressed and Proven.

“It represents me,” he said. “Honestly, it comes out in how I began in life. I was pressed, and I proved myself through surgery.”

Five dollars from every shirt sold is donated to the American Heart Association.

To directly support the AHA, visit its website to learn how you can give and get involved.

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