Heart for Athletes has held three screening events since its first in August, just two months ago. 334 children, ages 13-18 have been screened to possibly identify the five main causes of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in youth. The five major causes of SCA looked for are: aortic root enlargement, dilated cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, long QT syndrome (LQTS) and Wolf Parkinson White (WPW). Through a simple EKG test, one case of both WPW and LQTS were discovered. Statistically, for every 100 kids screened, one child with a risk factor for SCA will be found.
Heart for Athletes is making a difference. You can help us continue with our primary mission purpose of keeping kids in our area safe from SCA through cardiac screenings.
First, if you would like to host a heart screening event at your local high school in Baldwin or Mobile county, have you athletic director contact Heart for Athletes. Second, we need donations. Through the help of about #25 community volunteers and donated equipment at each event, we have been able to bring these events to our area, but costs are incurred. Any donation amount would be appreciated. Check out this video to see how one person in our area, a dad of one of the kids we screened, is helping to “Give Boldly.”
