TESTIMONIALS
The Kayal Family extends sincere appreciation to Hilary and Jared Scharf for being our guest speakers at Miles4Marcus 2024 and sharing their heartfelt testimonial to help raise awareness about the importance of cardiac screenings, especially in perfectly healthy asymptomatic young adults. Hilary was prompted to take action partly based on her family history, but especially because she knew that Marcus and a young adult in their town lost their lives due to sudden cardiac arrest. In 2022, Hilary took her two athletic teenage sons for cardiac screenings and found that her 16-year-old son, Jared, had a heart condition and needed surgery. Thankfully, he made a complete recovery.
In 2024, Jared graduated high school and is pursuing a degree in college.
Hilary said that awareness can cause a ripple effect. As her extended family was in the process of getting tested, it was discovered that her nephew had a thickening of his heart wall. Although it is stressful to receive news of an abnormality, it is also a blessing to have it detected and repaired or monitored. In Hilary’s words, “Your untimely loss of Marcus is definitely saving others.”
Special thanks to Josh Gottheimer and his team for
presenting a Congressional Certificate of Recognition to Marcus Kayal Legacy4Life Foundation at Miles4Marcus.
We are incredibly grateful to Hilary's nephew, Jordan Schwartz, for being our guest speaker at Miles4Marcus 2025 and 2026. His powerful testimonials emphasize the critical need of cardiac screenings, especially in perfectly healthy asymptomatic young adults. We are in awe of Jordan’s initiative, leadership, and determination in bringing cardiac screenings to his high school and working with Representative Josh Gottheimer to sponsor a life-saving law in Marcus’ name. Jordan said that he has been deeply inspired by Marcus's story. We are honored and hopeful to stand alongside Jordan as this bill proposal follows the legislative process to become a law. Congratulations to Jordan for being named a New Jersey Hometown Hero for his advocacy, community leadership, and taking action to make a difference in the lives of others.