In many ways, 14-year-old Luis Canessa is like any other kid, but he calls himself lucky.
"I'm glad to be here," he said from the living room of his family's home in Plantation.
While his mother was undergoing a sonogram while carrying Luis in 1998, doctors discovered that part of his heart was not forming.
Doctors said without post-natal surgery, he would die, and even with the surgery, the odds were against him.
"The gave us a 10 percent chance he would make it, so it was our decision if we wanted to do it or not," said his mother, Maria Canessa.
Luis went through three surgeries before his first birthday.
"We decided to do it, and we don't regret it because he's a miracle," said his mother.
The teen now leads a Heart Walk team called, appropriately, Go Luis.
Between 2011 and 2012, he raised more than $4,000 for the American Heart Association.
"We really believe research is so important and giving people information on where to go for the right doctors and the right treatment," said Maria Canessa.
Doctors don't know how long his heart can pump with one chamber; one day, he may need a transplant.
For now, though, Luis is focused on enjoying his childhood.
"I like basketball, canoeing, just having fun," he said.
To learn more about the heart walk and support Luis, go to www.browardheartwalk.org. Click on "Find a Team" on the left side of the page and search for the team "Go Luis."