On the football field, Jullian Pereida, the fearless middle linebacker for Channelview High School, was a sight to behold.
Crash! Crash! Crash! The thunderous sound of Julian’s tackles echoed through the stadium as he bulldozed forward like an unstoppable freight train — fierce, relentless, unyielding. His eyes were set on one mission: to take down every opponent in his path.
“My mission is just to make plays and stay on the ball and just help my team win,” Jullian says, his voice filled with determination. “I just play my best and show them what I can do.”
Yet, behind the sound of the cheering crowd and the rush of the game, an unseen threat lurked.
A ticking time bomb in his chest
While Julian looked like a superstar on the field, inside, his heart was hiding a deadly secret — Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM). A condition as silent as it was dangerous.
His mother, Julia Pereida, recalls the shock that shook their world:
“He looked great, he did great. He played like a superstar to me. I never ever thought that my child would ever have anything heart-related. I didn’t even think about it... He’s a big kid, he’s healthy.”
Despite passing all of his state-mandated sports exams, Jullian’s true condition only surfaced when his parents went to their doctor and Jullian was, for the first time, given an electrocardiogram (ECG) test, a far more in-depth heart test that goes far beyond just a doctor listening to the heart with a stethoscope.
“What if he hadn’t been tested?” I asked Julian’s mother. “Without him being tested, what could have happened?”
Julia breaks down the terrifying reality:
“My son could have died. He could have had a sudden cardiac arrest and passed away.”
“It could have happened anywhere,” Julia says.
Protecting other families from heartbreak
Now, to keep this kind of situation from ever happening to your child, we at KPRC 2 are, for the 12th year in a row, joining with The Cody Stephens Foundation and Harris County Emergency Services District 11 to offer a crucial, free electrocardiogram screening to all kids aged 11 to 22, absolutely free.
Scott Stephens, father of Cody Stephens — a star football player lost to the same kind of hidden heart defect — leads this life-saving initiative through the charity he founded 12 years ago.
“We’ve found over 300 kids needing immediate medical attention through around 100,000 to 120,000 screenings across Texas,” Scott shares, his voice heavy with purpose.
Mark your calendar: Our next free heart screening is this Sunday, August 17th. Don’t wait.
Jullian’s mother gives other parents this heartfelt advice:
“Go. Absolutely go. Don’t take any chances. This program saved my son’s life.”
What you need to know
The screening is Sunday, Aug. 17, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and is being held at Harris County ESD 11 headquarters, located at 18334 Stuebner Airline Road in Spring.
You can register online now or walk in on the day of the event if slots are full. No child will be turned away.
