Alex Pays It Forward

A routine heart screening at Penn State may have saved Alex's life.

When Alex Manske arrived at Penn State as a transfer quarterback from Iowa State, he was quickly forced to face unforeseen adversity regarding his health.

Director of Sports Medicine Joe Resendez approached Alex after an offseason workout, and revealed to the redshirt freshman that his recent heart screening electrocardiogram test showed some potentially life-threatening results.

Alex was diagnosed with a dilated aortic root and dilated ascending aorta, two conditions that would increase the likelihood for an aneurysm or rupture in his heart.

“I never would have known,” Alex told reporters. “I had zero symptoms before then. And I never felt like I’d get out of breath easy or anything like that. So it was definitely a surprise when I found it, and I’m glad that I found it. I’m thankful for Penn State and to be able to do the testing here to find that. Because if I didn’t find that, you never know what could have happened,” Alex said.

Alex underwent open heart surgery in March 2026, just a few weeks after being diagnosed. He returned to play in Beaver Stadium just six months later. This has truly been a remarkable journey - and a testimonial for why heart screenings are so important.

Alex is paying it forward - working with Huddle For Hearts - to raise awareness about the importance of heart screenings to find those hidden heart issues that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest and/or sudden death. We lose over 23,000 young kids every year to cardiac arrest - most often due to undiagnosed heart conditions.

Support Alex's campaign to help place AEDs (defibrillators) where kids play and practice sports and to support the mission of Huddle For Hearts.

About Huddle For Hearts:

Huddle For Hearts® is a ground-breaking initiative created in partnership between The Peyton Walker Foundation and athletes who are passionate about saving lives through CPR and Automated External Defibrillators.

Huddle For Hearts makes Sudden Cardiac Arrest prevention, awareness & treatment a priority.

Through Huddle For Hearts®, AEDs and CPR training are donated to youth sports organizations – focusing primarily on underserved communities.

Early defibrillation with an AED can be the difference between life & death when someone is in cardiac arrest. Huddle For Hearts® focuses on placing AEDs anywhere that kids play or practice sports or gather.