Malcolm Beattie, senior, had always had to keep in mind how active he can be. Unlike other children he had to be cautious of his heart rate and make sure that he was never to physical with other people. Beattie was born with a heart defect and has had to live his whole life with a pacemaker making it harder for him to be as active as most children.

He is now a senior and is used to his condition, but remembers times when having a pacemaker made life difficult.

“In 7th grade the pacemaker stopped working so for about half the school year I couldn’t do anything P.E.-related,” Beattie said.

School became hard for Beattie when the pacemaker had malfunctions. He would quickly lose energy and would start having difficulties paying attention in class. As a result to the pacemaker, Beattie has had to go through eight different surgeries.

“I have to keep in mind that I can’t be as active as everyone else because it can damage the pacemaker,” Beattie said.