Registration for Heart for Athlete’s first screening event is now open. Only 70 slots are available, so register you teenage student athlete today!
What: FREE Heart Screening Event
Who: Student Athletes, ages 13-18
When: Saturday, August 16th
Time: Appointments available from 9am to 4pm.
Where: University of South Alabama Springhill Ave Campus
Sponsored by: Heart for Athletes
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is not just an adult thing. It takes the lives of thousands of students every year. It is the #1 cause of death of student athletes.
With no prior warning signs, my 16 year old son suffered from a sudden cardiac arrest in May of 2013. Sam was subsequently diagnosed with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia (ARVD), a rare form of cardiomyopathy that caused his heart to electronically malfunction. Prior to the SCA, he was an elite triathlete, but after his diagnosis, he has been sidelined from all sports activities. He has a defibrillator implanted in his chest and takes medications to help control his arrhythmias.
After our family learned of the frequency of SCA in athletes, we realized that steps can be taken to prevent its occurrence. We started the Heart for Athletes foundation to serve the Baldwin and Mobile county areas to raise awareness and help screen and identify student athletes who have undiagnosed cardiac conditions. Our goal is to prevent SCA through heart screenings, and prevent sudden cardiac death through awareness and CPR/AED training.
Heart for Athlete’s first heart screening event will be on Saturday, August 16th. The University of South AL has offered us not only equipment, but also clinic space at their Springhill Avenue Campus (very close to Children’s and Women’s Hospital). This is a FREE event for athletes ages 13-18. The exam will take approximately 30 minutes and will include an EKG and echocardiogram. All of the participants’ tests will be reviewed by a cardiologist who will be on site and results of the screening will be given the same day.
The University of South Alabama will also provide CPR and AED training for everyone who comes – the kids screened, parents and siblings.
You must pre-register for the event. I anticipate a waiting list, so please let me know if you register, but cannot keep your appointment so that it can be made available for another participant.
If you know athletes in the 13-18 age range, let them know about this free event so that they can take advantage of this screening opportunity.
The conditions that lead to SCA are detectable, and deaths are preventable. Had my son been offered a heart screening before his SCA, his condition may have been detected, and the SCA possibly prevented. His miraculous survival and recovery were due to the availability of an AED at the scene of his cardiac arrest and quality bystander CPR. His story shows the need for both prevention of the SCA and preparedness once the SCA has occurred.
Click here to register your athlete today.
