b'GAME, SET. FUNDRAISE!By Elizabeth Lenart Within months of undergoing lifesaving heart surgery at the age of 13, Ashlyn Duy, an avid tennis player and freshman in high school at Bishop Lynch, returned to the courts to raise funds for a cause close to his newly improved heart. The event was the Red Balloon Children Helping Children Tennis Tournament, benefiting pediatric cancer research and programs at Childrens Health, where months earlier Duy had received heart surgery for tachycardia, an abnormally high heartbeat that comes on without warning. He had felt his heart race since he was 10, but his condition was not diagnosed until age 13. Since his surgery, his goal was to maximize his impact on childrens lives.When I was first invited to participate in 2015, I honestly felt like it was meant to beeverything had come full circle, said Duy. A regular sense of nervousness of playing in a tournament was tempered by a newfound sense of purpose that I had fulfilled in the weeks leading up to it, added Duy. It felt like I had accomplished something before even going onto the court!Throughout his high school years, Duy committed himself to the tournament, leveraging his peer-to-peer personal fundraising page to raise awareness, collect donations, and inspire others, and he quadrupled his fundraising results during his senior year. As a participant and fundraiser in the tournament, Duy raised a total ofWithin months of undergoing lifesaving heart surgery at the age of $31,170 for the cause. He was nominated by Childrens Health as13, Ashlyn Duy, now a college freshman and recipient of the 2019 the 2019 Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy and will be honoredOutstanding Youth in Philanthropy award, returned to the courts to on Friday, November 8 at the 34thAnnual National Philanthropyraise funds for pediatric cancer research and programs at Childrens Day Luncheon. Health. The tournament, which was started in 1991 by another grateful patientfamily,bringsin500youngtennisplayersperyeartoimportance of giving back.participate and support patients at Childrens Health. The eventDuy,now18andafreshmanstudyingengineeringatthe takes place in September and has raised more than $3.2 millionUniversity of Colorado Boulder, was a National Merit Commended since 1991 for pediatric cancer research and programs. Scholarandvaledictorian.Hereceivedmultiplehonorsand My connection with Childrens reinforced within me the notionserved in leadership roles not only in high school but also in of not only working hard for the good of others, but also keepingthe community, where he mentored youth tennis players on the in mind the connections that all people share with one another autism spectrum and provided them with opportunities for social as simple as being united by the benefits of medicineand theinteraction. Duy has been mentoring his younger sister Abigael to take over the fundraising and continue the Duy familys legacy.Ashlyns enthusiasm and creativity have been evident from the start of his involvement with the tennis tournament, said Brent Christopher,President,ChildrensMedicalCenterFoundation. Ashlyn draws deeply from his ownHe draws deeply from his own connection to Childrens Health and inspires everyone around him. Ashlyn is the consummate connection to Childrens Health andfundraiser, accessing friends and family through personal letters, utilizing social media and personal fundraising pages, and visiting inspires everyone around him. with neighbors. He embodies the generous spirit of our community, - Brent Christopher, President,demonstrating that the desire to give back is infectious!Childrens Medical Center Foundation IamgreatlyhonoredtoreceivetheOutstandingYouthin Philanthropy award, said Duy. I am proud of my four years both playing in the tournament and fundraising for Childrens, and I hope the award will draw even greater attention and attendance to the tournament to further the cause.22GoodLifeFamilyMag.comNOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2019'