The American Heart Association’s (AHA) annual Heart Ball gathered 650 Austinites at the Fairmont Hotel to celebrate the year’s achievements, bring the community together in support of cardiovascular health, and honor the 2026 Class of Heart of Austin Award winners. More than $1.1 million was raised to further AHA’s mission of funding life-saving research, improving access to care, and inspiring healthier lifestyles.
This year’s casino-themed event, chaired by Erik Day of Dell Technologies, highlighted both the reality of cardiovascular risk and the power of choice, encouraging guests to go “all-in” for heart health.
Throughout the evening, guests met influential community members who keep the AHA’s mission moving forward, and they heard the story of St. David’s Healthcare nurse manager Tyler Hobson, who used “Hands Only” CPR to save the life of Jon Goetz after he collapsed from cardiac arrest while playing pickleball. Hobson had extensive experience working in labor and delivery, but had never performed CPR in the community before.
“I’ve been working in the hospital, in labor and delivery, for 22 years, but I had never performed CPR ‘in the wild’, so to speak, before,” said Hobson. “But I knew the steps–I called 911, had someone grab an AED, and began doing the compressions–those same steps anyone can do.”
That kind of life-saving impact is why the Austin Heart Ball celebrates community leadership through the Virginia and Steve Visser Heart of Austin Award. This year, five Austinites were selected to be the 2026 Class of Heart of Austin Honorees:
- Activator Pillar: Bobby Jenkins (CEO and owner, ABC Home & Commercial Services)
- Champion Pillar: Vanessa Fuentes (District 2 Councilmember)
- Community Engagement Pillar: Nyle Maxwell (CEO, Nyle Maxwell Family of Dealerships)
- Healthcare Pillar: Denise Bradley (VP of Marketing and Corporate Affairs, St. David’s HealthCare)
- Volunteerism Pillar: Dr. Caitlin Giesler (cardiologist and founder, The Heart Center for Women)
The 2026 Heart of Austin Award was presented to Denise Bradley in recognition of her work amplifying the breakthroughs transforming cardiovascular and brain health and bringing the community closer to the people making that progress possible.
Through these awards and the broader Austin Heart Ball campaign, the AHA celebrates individuals and organizations that are driving meaningful change by expanding access to care, advancing innovation, and inspiring the community to lead healthier lives–or learn to save a life themselves.
Hobson added, “I would encourage everyone to learn CPR. You never know when you’ll be the only one who knows how to do it, when you’re the one to step in, when you're the one to save a life.”
To learn CPR visit cpr.heart.org.
