Marcus was a 16-year-old honor student and stellar athlete who appeared to be in excellent health and physical condition. He developed a passion for soccer at age five and played for various club teams as well as his high school’s varsity team, with hopes of competing at the college level. He also planned to pursue a pre-med track and eventually attend medical school.

On December 26, 2019, Marcus collapsed without warning while spending time with family at his grandfather’s house. CPR was started immediately and EMS arrived within minutes. He was taken to the hospital, where doctors worked for hours to restore his heartbeat, but he passed away in the early morning of December 27 from sudden cardiac death caused by an undetected heart condition.

His family founded the Marcus Kayal Legacy4Life Foundation to raise heart health awareness, support programs that provide detection of cardiac issues, and honor the life of Marcus.