Former Fremd runner's heart beats on through fundraiser, student screenings

As an all-area cross country and track athlete at Fremd High School, Joshua Jared Hardy earned a reputation for his heart.

"He was always known as the guy who would run really, really hard - run his guts out," said Austin Bruins, one of Hardy's Fremd teammates. "That's the example that he set. Everyone else tried to live up to that expectation."

"He was just one of those kids that put it all on the line all the time. He was a great role model," added Mike Bruce, one of his coaches at the Palatine school.

In 2009, while he was a 21-year-old student at the University of Illinois, Hardy's heart gave out. He died suddenly of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic condition that causes an excessive thickening of the heart muscle with no apparent cause.

But Hardy's heart - that is to say, his spirit - survives, working through the indomitable persistence of his mother, Ruth Jensen. Largely through her efforts, Hoofin' 4 Hardy, a 5K run and 2-mile walk, was created. The event raises funds to support free testing for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in local high school students. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the leading cause of sudden cardiac arrest in young people.

"I was trying to think about something positive to do to honor him," Jensen said.

On Sunday, more than 100 runners took part in the run/walk at Birchwood Park and Recreation Center in Palatine.

More significantly, the $60,000 raised through the cause will result in testing for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy at all five schools in Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211, beginning at Fremd in December.

District 211 Superintendent Daniel Cates, who was on hand for Sunday's event, said the testing is the result of Jensen's tenacity, as well as the partnership with Young Hearts for Life, a heart screening program through Advocate Health Care.

"Ruth has been an absolutely wonderful partner," said Cates, adding that District 211 will advertise the screenings as the dates approach. "We're very hopeful that (the screenings) find absolutely nothing. Should we identify something, we would like people to be aware."

Jensen credited the sponsors that helped raise the funds.

"One child saved is worth whatever we may spend," she said. "If they had this when Jared was in school, he might still be here today."

The event drew runners past and present from Fremd, as well as Hardy's friends and family, along with members of the Technology and Management program to which Hardy belonged at the University of Illinois.