South King Fire and Rescue firefighters presented Decatur High School student Tatiana Jones her own AED (automated external defibrillator) at her softball game against Thomas Jefferson High School on April 7.

With help from her family, the South King Firefighters Foundation, led by Capt. Jeff Bellinghausen, rallied the funds to buy Tatiana a defibrillator after learning she was one of seven students who was found to have a heart problem at a Nick of Time Foundation heart screening last year at the high school.

Tatiana, 16, was diagnosed with Anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery, which is a birth defect that can cause sudden death. In order to keep playing sports — softball and swimming — Tatiana’s doctor told her she had to have an AED at every school sporting event. Although her school has one, Tatiana and her family worried about what they would do if she didn’t have one during an away game or while she was doing physical activity at home.

To purchase the AED, a gofundme.com account was started with the goal of $2,000. In just nine days, $1,855 was donated and the Firefighters Foundation was able to purchase the AED as soon as possible.

Any additional funds will be donated toward the Nick of Time Foundation, an organization that routinely checks student athletes’ hearts every year.