We are now almost 2 weeks into heart month.  I hope you are taking some time to take care of your heart; doing things like exercise, monitoring sugar and fat intake, increasing your fruit and vegetable intake, and scheduling a check-up.  As you are busy taking care of your own heart, have you given any thought to the heart health of those around you?  Do you have children; a spouse or parent who has never had an EKG? If you love someone who has never had a screening EKG, now is the time to get that scheduled.  You may be thinking to yourself, or saying out loud, that insurance does not cover a screening EKG and you are correct.  It costs a lot of money, you think.  Well, it can, but it does not have to. Children can be screened for as little as 20$ a screen and adults for 35$.

Want to save a life?

But why would you take the time to do such a thing?  Kids have school and practice and games and lessons.  How would you fit that in? My response to that thought is, how can you not when this can quite literally save their life?

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is the leading cause of death on school campuses. It kills more children each year than, heat stroke, concussion, and school shooting combined. It is also 100% preventable with a simple EKG..

Sudden cardiac arrest does not just affect athletes and not just high school children.  As an adult with a defect, you probably know the statistic; one in one hundred babies is born with a defect. Did you know that is just a guess based on data out of Canada? How many of you did not know you had a defect until you were older?  Not all defects are found at birth and not all defects are present at birth. The heart changes as it grows, just like every other organ. Most arrhythmias cannot be heard with a stethoscope and will not be found during a physical. Most who are victims of SCA, are otherwise healthy and active. The is literally no sign or symptom. No warning.

With an EKG screen which literally takes 5 minutes start to finish, you could save the life of your family members.  We know so much more now than we did when this young man, Phillip died suddenly before a high school basketball game. 

How can you schedule a screen for your community, club or school?  Reply to this post or visit www.whoweplayfor.org