Heart screenings a matter of life and death

Too many children are falling victim to sudden cardiac arrest in the United States. Research shows that each year, 7,000 young Americans ages 6-18 die from this otherwise preventable syndrome.

So, why are we losing so many to this silent killer? For 80 percent of those affected, the first symptom is a fatal collapse.

We have all read newspaper headlines informing us that yet another young "healthy" athlete collapsed on the field. My son was one of those headlines. It was a combination of circumstances involving everyone - the coach, his teammates and the paramedics - "being in the right place at the right time" that saved my son's life. A preventative heart screening could have possibly done the same.

How many young adults have to die - both on and off the field - for us to give merit to the importance of heart screenings? Perhaps the most shocking of these statistics is that heart abnormalities can easily be detected through use of an electrocardiogram (EKG). In fact, studies show that screening programs that utilize an EKG can significantly reduce the number of cardiac deaths among our youth.

We hear all too often that the cost of screenings would not offset the number of deaths they would prevent. Ask any family member affected by sudden cardiac arrest, and they will surely assert that a preventative screening would have been well worth any amount of time, money or effort required.

The simple truth is that the importance of testing our children for heart arrhythmias can be the difference between life and death for many.

Indeed, it is encouraging to see several organizations carrying the torch for young Americans everywhere. Among them is Jayne Vining, a mother personally affected by the loss of her son to a cardiac abnormality. Founder of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Syndromes (CAS) Foundation, her team is working to make a difference in the lives of young people and our community.

Through an initiative called SafeBeat, families here in the Tampa area have been afforded a truly live-saving opportunity - the chance for free heart screenings for their high school students.

Thank you, Hillsborough County Public Schools and All Children's Hospital, for working with The SafeBeat Initiative to offer free heart screening services to over 60,000 students in all 27 Hillsborough high schools. These screenings represent an historic partnership between the education and medical communities and are a necessary step in the right direction.

Now, more than ever, we have an obligation to take advantage of this voluntary, potentially life-changing opportunity. Free programs such these, however, still require a parent/guardian to opt-in to have their child screened. The cost for not opting in could be your child's life.

While my son was once a headline, we consider our family to be one of the lucky ones and truly blessed. His life was spared. Many others are not so fortunate. We as a community must take the time and energy to invest in these proactive approaches for our youth.

It is truly a matter of life and death.