One person asked about my interest in Sudden Cardiac Arrest. I think it was Candy and maybe she was just being nice to ask, well I finally decided to use this chance to spread what I have learned over the last 3 1/2 years about SCA in kids.
HOW MY INTEREST DEVELOPED; It started about 32 years ago, I was probably in 6th or 7th grade and my dad was asked by the parents of a boy who had died of heart failure during a Little League game to to bring his race car to the funeral. My dad had never met the boy or his parent, but agreed when he heard that the boy had been a fan and that the family wanted him there. The family had pictures of my dad's car in the casket. All of this made a big impression on my dad as the idea of such a tragic death of a child was very upsetting to a father. About 6 years ago my dad moved in with my sister, she lives near me and every morning he would read the paper. Whenever he read about a child dying of SCA he would tell us about it and say" There is no reason for every school and sports program not to have an AED" ( Automated External Defibrillator)
Four years ago on his 61st birthday my dad decided he was going to time himself taking a very long hike he had been wondering about. It was a very warm february day and about 2 miles from the house he died of heart failure.
I wanted to do something in his memory and a nurse I know that was teaching a health class at the High School sugested I donated an AED to the H/S as they did not have one. Well bells went off in my head at the thought of doing something that would really make my dad happy. She gave me the number for San Diego Project Heart Beat and they helped me to to set up a foundation and start educating people in the community about SCA. I wanted to raise money to purchase an AED for every school and sports association in Ramona. To date I have placed two at the H/S one at the middle school and one at the baseball field. My new goal is to get enough donated to the H/S that one can be present at every sporting event.
Facts about AEDs; They are VERY easy to use, they can NOT deliver a shock to someone that does not need it, they are light in wieght and very portable and they are the most amazing thing ever made for a non-medical person. I guess the last fact is really my oppinion.
Facts about SCA; SCA is not a plumbing problem, but an electrical problem or heart abnormality. Approimately 2 percent of children have a heart condition that could result in SCA. The first detection of SCA is usually death, AEDs are the only effective way to treat SCA and must be used within the first 2 to 4 minutes, if a victim receives shock within one minute there is a 90% chance of resuscitation if a victim must wait 10 minutes the survival rate drops to less than 5%,over 465,000 people die each year of SCA, SCA occurs during exercise 60% of the time, the best AED only cost about $1,700.00.
It is my hope that everyone that reads this and has a child in school will ask the school "do you have an AED and where is it?" If the answer is no find out why not and push for them to get one. About a month ago 3 kids died in the U.S. in about a ten day span. This happend right before the Eric Paredes foundation came to Ramona High to conduct cardio screening free of charge to any 7th-12 grader thats parents were willing to bring them to get the test done. Because of my interest in SCA I was asked to be part of the commitee to get ready for the screenings. I mostly went to a few meetings, got waters donated, helped spread the word and made sure paper work was filled out correctly. They brought professionals to do the real work. Out of the 600 people that were screened 12 had problems that were detected. One was a boy who is 13 years old and plays baseball with my youngest son. I only know about this because his mother called me in tears and asked me to thank the person responsable for bringing the screenings to Ramona. His parent have an appiontment with a cardiologist will now be able to find out how they can treat it and prevent SCA.
HOW MY INTEREST DEVELOPED; It started about 32 years ago, I was probably in 6th or 7th grade and my dad was asked by the parents of a boy who had died of heart failure during a Little League game to to bring his race car to the funeral. My dad had never met the boy or his parent, but agreed when he heard that the boy had been a fan and that the family wanted him there. The family had pictures of my dad's car in the casket. All of this made a big impression on my dad as the idea of such a tragic death of a child was very upsetting to a father. About 6 years ago my dad moved in with my sister, she lives near me and every morning he would read the paper. Whenever he read about a child dying of SCA he would tell us about it and say" There is no reason for every school and sports program not to have an AED" ( Automated External Defibrillator)
Four years ago on his 61st birthday my dad decided he was going to time himself taking a very long hike he had been wondering about. It was a very warm february day and about 2 miles from the house he died of heart failure.
I wanted to do something in his memory and a nurse I know that was teaching a health class at the High School sugested I donated an AED to the H/S as they did not have one. Well bells went off in my head at the thought of doing something that would really make my dad happy. She gave me the number for San Diego Project Heart Beat and they helped me to to set up a foundation and start educating people in the community about SCA. I wanted to raise money to purchase an AED for every school and sports association in Ramona. To date I have placed two at the H/S one at the middle school and one at the baseball field. My new goal is to get enough donated to the H/S that one can be present at every sporting event.
Facts about AEDs; They are VERY easy to use, they can NOT deliver a shock to someone that does not need it, they are light in wieght and very portable and they are the most amazing thing ever made for a non-medical person. I guess the last fact is really my oppinion.
Facts about SCA; SCA is not a plumbing problem, but an electrical problem or heart abnormality. Approimately 2 percent of children have a heart condition that could result in SCA. The first detection of SCA is usually death, AEDs are the only effective way to treat SCA and must be used within the first 2 to 4 minutes, if a victim receives shock within one minute there is a 90% chance of resuscitation if a victim must wait 10 minutes the survival rate drops to less than 5%,over 465,000 people die each year of SCA, SCA occurs during exercise 60% of the time, the best AED only cost about $1,700.00.
It is my hope that everyone that reads this and has a child in school will ask the school "do you have an AED and where is it?" If the answer is no find out why not and push for them to get one. About a month ago 3 kids died in the U.S. in about a ten day span. This happend right before the Eric Paredes foundation came to Ramona High to conduct cardio screening free of charge to any 7th-12 grader thats parents were willing to bring them to get the test done. Because of my interest in SCA I was asked to be part of the commitee to get ready for the screenings. I mostly went to a few meetings, got waters donated, helped spread the word and made sure paper work was filled out correctly. They brought professionals to do the real work. Out of the 600 people that were screened 12 had problems that were detected. One was a boy who is 13 years old and plays baseball with my youngest son. I only know about this because his mother called me in tears and asked me to thank the person responsable for bringing the screenings to Ramona. His parent have an appiontment with a cardiologist will now be able to find out how they can treat it and prevent SCA.
