Saint Peter Public Schools

North Elementary third grader Austin Guth, who has Brugada syndrome, read a book to his fellow third graders on Friday morning that he helped write about his life. Brugada syndrome is a rare, inherited heart condition that disrupts the heart's electrical system, leading to potentially fatal irregular heart rhythms and, in some cases, causing sudden cardiac arrest. 

Austin, with the help of his Mom, Tina Guth, wrote the story to give students a better understanding of how he lives his day-to-day life with the condition. Austin, who lives an active  life like most kids his age, also shared about what he has to watch out for, and the precautions he has to take whether he’s at school, at home, or out and about in the community. 

“Since our ‘Character Strong’ theme is empathy during the month of December, learning about health conditions of one of our own students ties in nicely with all of that,” Austin’s third grade teacher, Mr. Noble, said. 

Austin read to two different groups of third graders - his homeroom (Mr. Noble’s class) along with Mrs. Woitas and Mrs. Guappones class in the first session, and Mr. Sindelir, Mr. Malz, and Mrs. Landsteiner’s classes in the second session.

Above and below are some photo highlights from Austin sharing his story with his peers.