Jake, 12

From birth, Jake needed a series of operations and a pacemaker to prevent heart failure. Problems with his pacemaker, led him to Boston Children’s, where experts performed his fifth major surgery to save his heart when he was 9.

Now he gives back by fundraising and sharing his positive outlook at a summer camp for kids with congenital heart defects. He serves in student government and recently penned a hilarious graphic novel. Jake’s vibrant Jazz Court and Foamie Trucker Hat are a tribute to his love of basketball, tacos, and his rubber duck collection—he has 136 and counting!