HOUSTON – Beneath the bright lights of NRG Stadium, where dreams are made and heroes are born, Cecil Shorts would race into the end zone, scoring touchdowns for the Houston Texans — a symbol of strength, agility, and spirit.
But beyond the roar of the crowd and the thrill of the game, Cecil and his wife Chanel are now embarking on a mission far greater than football.
Now, they are confronting a hidden killer in our communities — sudden cardiac arrest — the number one silent threat to our youth athletes. It’s the leading cause of death among student athletes and tragically, a risk that is hiding behind the smiles of seemingly strong, healthy-looking children.
Chanel Shorts, co-founder of the “In God’s Hands” project, passionately shares, “Sudden cardiac arrest is literally the number one killer of student athletes. We want to raise awareness so that people know the dangers.”
Her husband Cecil echoes that urgency: “The scary part is, on the outside, the student athlete looks perfectly fine. They’re healthy, athletic, excelling in sports and school. But inside, their heart may be silently suffering and many times, routine physicals just don’t catch it.”
This harsh reality became deeply personal when Chanel’s younger brother, a towering 18-year-old Division Two collegiate basketball player, seemingly invincible, suddenly collapsed during practice.
“He was having a college workout in the summertime,” Cecil recalls, “Six-five, six-six kid, 200 pounds, physically fit, dunking the basketball, everyone’s pride — and then, suddenly, boom — sudden cardiac arrest.”
The aftermath was a long, painful journey. “He had to relearn everything,” Cecil says, “How to walk, how to talk, how to use his limbs.”
Chanel adds, “He was blind at one point. We were terrified he wouldn’t see again.”
Motivated by this life-changing experience, Cecil and Chanel founded “In God’s Hands,” a project dedicated to protecting children from sudden cardiac arrest. They are educating families on life-saving CPR techniques, how to use external defibrillators, and providing free heart screenings via electrocardiogram (ECG) tests.
Now, for the twelfth year in a row, KPRC 2 is partnering with Scott Stephens and The Cody Stephens Foundation to protect your children from sudden cardiac arrest by offering an absolutely free, in-depth, teen heart screening event this weekend.
This screening is open to everyone aged 11 to 22.
On arrival, parents will fill out a simple consent form and share their family’s heart health history. Then, the young participants will undergo a painless ECG test, boys and girls in separate rooms, to detect hidden heart risks.
Results will be available within just a few days. Most importantly, parents and children will receive hands-on CPR training — a gift of knowledge that could save a life.
Chanel, who has become so passionate about this issue invites all to join her on August 17th in Spring, Texas. “It’s a big opportunity for people to come, meet us, and learn about ‘In God’s Hands.’”
Cecil also plans to attend our heart screening and urges parents to bring their children, “Get your child’s heart tested. It’s crucial. To see what’s happening inside.”
Again, this is a life-saving project being offered by The Cody Stephens Foundation with help from Harris County ESD 11 and takes place this Sunday afternoon, August 17th.
The event runs from 1:00 to 4:00 PM at the Harris County ESD Headquarters, located at 18334 Stuebner Airline Road in Spring.
You can register your kids now by clicking here.
Together, Cecil and Chanel are not just planning to attend our heart screen, they themselves are protecting hearts; they are building a legacy of hope and saving futures.
