Matteo Gable, a student at Amador, and his family have improved numerous children’s lives by creating and supporting a charity organization titled Gable Heartbeats. The organization has provided 27 schools in California with AEDs (automated external defibrillators) in order to detect underlying heart conditions.

The Gable family lost their father, Michael Gable, due to cardiac arrest. The family was devastated. The death of Michael Gable inspired the Gable family to prevent these issues from occurring to other families. 

“It is a great honor to be a part of this, carrying on my dad’s legacy and what he stood for. I know if he survived, he would want to help other people not go through this,” said Matteo Gable (‘24)

Matteo Gable’s sister, Grace Gable went into complete heart failure at only 11 months old. She was quickly rushed to the hospital and it was revealed that Grace had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition that makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood. She had this disease due to heredity reasons. Thankfully now she is healthy and can enjoy activities such as soccer. 

“Grace is not only my soccer teammate but also one of my closest friends. I can’t imagine what life would be like without her, I am extremely grateful that she is still with us today,” said Zahra Alami (’26) a volunteer for Gable Heartbeats. 

The Gable family hosts a fundraiser every year in order to raise money for their foundation. They use the money they raised to distribute automated external defibrillators to schools in California. 

The official Gable Heartbeat website states “Gable Heart Beats’ mission is to save lives by early detection of heart issues and placing defibrillators (AEDs) in places where kids are present.”

On October 1st, 2014, the Gable Heartbeats received support from talented musician, Macklemore. He purchased a GHB dog tag necklace, and by doing so he helped raise awareness to not only the organization but also the danger of sudden cardiac arrest

“Macklemore is one of my favorite musicians, the fact that he supports Gable Heartbeats bewildered me,” said Alami (’26). 

On February 4th, 2017 the Gable Heartbeats Foundation provided electrocardiograms to approximately 200 young soccer players who were involved in ballistic and rage. Electrocardiograms is a test that evaluates an individual’s heart condition. 

“Ultimately it [electrocardiograms] can save lives of those who may not know they have cardiomyopathy or any other heart condition,” said Michelle Gable.    

This organization has helped recognize heart conditions in the youth and adults and save lives. The fact that a student at Amador is having an enormous and positive impact on the world is phenomenal.