[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16488-16489]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     IN REMEMBRANCE OF TOTI MENDEZ

  (Mr. CURBELO of Florida asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in remembrance of 
Ramiro ``Toti'' Mendez, who tragically passed away 15 years ago.
  Toti was an accomplished baseball player. While at Westminster 
Christian School in 1998, he was the Miami-Dade County Player of the 
Year. He was sitting out the season as a medical redshirt at Florida 
International University when he suddenly and heartbreakingly passed 
away from viral cardiomyopathy, which is an inflammatory disease of the 
heart muscle. It was a tragedy that came so unexpectedly for family and 
friends, including me. Toti was just 20 years old, with a bright future 
ahead of him.
  New developments in the diagnosis and treatment of patients suspected 
of having this condition are starting to be utilized, but the early 
detection of cardiac issues is imperative to saving lives.

[[Page 16489]]

  Earlier this week, I had the honor of participating in the dedication 
of the Toti Mendez Cardiopulmonary Diagnostic Suite at Florida 
International University. This facility will give medical students an 
opportunity to enhance the art of auscultation, allowing for cardiac 
abnormalities to be detected sooner. I am proud that FIU is honoring 
Toti's legacy with the opening of this important facility.
  I also want to recognize the work of Toti's mother, Maruchi Mendez, 
to bring awareness to this very important issue through the 
establishment of a scholarship fund and a foundation in honor of her 
son, who was beloved by every single person who knew him.

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