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This will be a short intro bio because the comeback story you are about to hear is just a young man.  But I think you will be moved by his impressive comeback from open-heart surgery that almost had a sad ending, and by his desire to share his story so others might be educated and inspired by it.  Mateo Casados was a soccer player and an up-and-coming track athlete at Horizon H.S. in Thornton, CO, specializing in sprints and hurdles.  However, while doing workouts with his brother, who was in similar physical shape, Mateo’s dad Lee noticed that Mateo was getting exhausted much sooner than usual, even turning white.  Subsequent tests on his heart revealed that in one area when the aortic blood flow into the heart muscle itself should have one artery on either side, the arteries came in on the same side.  Mateo faced the choice of limiting his activities for the rest of his life, or agreeing to risky open-heart surgery.  An active, healthy young man like Mateo chose the latter.  Surgery seemingly went well, but while Mateo was recovering in the ICU, something went wrong and his heart stopped beating.  Mateo was rushed back into surgery, and the surgeons cracked open his chest again.  Following his recovery from this traumatic event, he went on to finish second in his league in both the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles, and make the finals at the State meet in the 110s.  He now competes at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction where he began the 2022 indoor season with impressively fast times of 6.86 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles and 22.93 seconds in the 200 meters.  But on top of his impressive comeback, you’ll notice that Mateo has a genuinely good heart, no pun intended, and really hopes to use this experience to show how, even at his young age, his determination and belief in himself has made him a better person who can help others overcome their obstacles.

Mateo Casados
Instagram @37teo

Bill Stahl
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