Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: “baseball continues to be Americans' favorite pastime. Young boys who favor this sport dream of playing for their college…”

“baseball continues to be Americans' favorite pastime. Young boys who favor this sport dream of playing for their college teams. This dream came true for Ramiro Mendez, warmly known as Toti to his teammates, his family and friends. He was number 23 for Florida International University's baseball team until the day he succumbed to a rare heart disease. Little is known about this heart problem, which is oftentimes not found until it is too late. Toti's family is working to pass legislation in Florida that would make heart tests mandatory for student physical exams. In an effort to keep his memory alive, Toti's family and friends have established the 23 Fund for tuition assistance for other student athletes at Florida International University. On October 19, FIU and the AXA Foundation will raise scholarship funds to memorialize Toti and the hundreds of other athletes who have been affected by this heart ailment. Toti will continue to live in the spirit of his family, his teammates and all of us who were privileged to know him.”