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Hialeah-based CGI Windows & Doors, part of the PGT Innovations family of brands, recently selected four standout individuals from across Florida to be awarded a $1,000 cash prize as part of its “CGI Heroes: Celebrating Strength” contest.
Cutler Bay heart warrior Bethany Keime is one of four statewide finalists.
The annual event recognizes Florida residents who have gone above and beyond to help others. This year, a second round was added to the contest to select a grand prize winner from the four initial winners. The grand prize winner will receive an additional cash prize of $5,000. The grand prize winner will be announced on June 1.
Keime is a self-proclaimed heart warrior. At 17 years of age, the Florida native was a senior in high school with a promising dance career and her whole life in front of her, when she was diagnosed with the No. 1 killer on school campuses and leading killer of student athletes: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Her life changed forever when she fatefully learned that hers would be a lifetime of medication, testing, and treatments, including having a defibrillator implanted into her chest. Seven years later, she came to terms with the diagnosis and decided to do something positive about it. She launched the HeartCharged Instagram page to spread awareness, built her own website, and created her own 501(c)3 nonprofit, HeartCharged. She puts on community heart screenings, donates defibrillators, and speaks at schools. And she’s even helping to change the law.
