Berger and Green Awards 2017 Heart Disease Scholarship to Jake Hansel

    PITTSBURGH, PA, November 16, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Berger and Green, a Pittsburgh injury and disability law firm, is proud to award its 2017 Heart Disease Scholarship to Jake Hansel, a hardworking college student from Camas, WA.

Jake was a star basketball player who, as a sophomore, was part of the Camas High School varsity team that made the Washington State finals tournament for the first time in 55 years. A year later, he was being recruited by colleges, but an EKG that his father made him get, revealed an irregularity--after extensive testing he was diagnosed with Apical Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, HCM, a genetic disease in which part of the heart muscle is enlarged. In severe cases, the disease can cause death. Heart disease is one of the top 5 causes of death among teen-agers, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

After an admittedly difficult acceptance of his limitations, Jake had to quit the basketball team. But he refocused his energy. He became a player coach and he began raising money to raise awareness for heart disease research. With the help of his community, Jake raised $16,700 for the Oregon Health and Sciences University Knight Cardiovascular Institute in Portland, OR.

In addition, he worked closely with the David Heller Memorial Foundation, named after another student-athlete. In 2005, David Heller was just 17 years old when he died from undetected HCM. His family set up a foundation to raise awareness for teen heart disease and to promote EKG testing for student athletes.

Today Jake is a first-year engineering student at Gonzaga University in Spokane--a basketball powerhouse. He hopes to continue to raise research and awareness for heart disease.

The Heart Disease Scholarship is only one of the many community programs Berger and Green have instituted over the years. Our practice is dedicated to getting people the help they deserve after an injury or disability. But we have long been partners in community outreach, including multiple local charities that help people and animals.

For more information, we can be reached at:
Berger and Green
800 Waterfront Dr
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
412-661-1400.

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