CROSBY, Texas (KTRK) -- Starting this year, high school athletes across Texas will be able to request electrocardiogram heart screenings during their required yearly physical exams.
All thanks to House Bill 76, named for Cody Stephens, who wore number 76 on his Crosby High School football jersey.
Stephens died in 2012 due to an undiagnosed heart condition.
Since then, Cody's father, Scott, has been fighting to get more screening for student athletes.
"Cody had a sports physical every year, passed it with flying colors," said Stephens. "All these kids who have died on the field, how many of them pass their sports physical? Every one of them."
The law went into effect on September 1, 2019.
"For a while, you just walk into walls and you just try to breathe," explained Stephen. "You try to get off the floor and you try to get some air back into your lungs,"
"But having a mission and knowing that my son's legacy is going to help save lives helps. I believe that if Cody would have lived, he would have done a lot of great things."
More info: https://www.codystephensfoundation.org/
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