ORLANDO, Fla. – Every year, an estimated 23,000 kids in the U.S. suffer a cardiac arrest, but a nonprofit is working to change that through education, equipment and free heart screenings.
On Friday, Parent Heart Watch and ZOLL Medical delivered a free automated external defibrillator (AED) to the Universal Orlando Foundation Branch Boys and Girls Club in Orlando.
The club serves children ages 6 though 18 and previously did not have an on-site AED.
“A lot of times, parents think, ‘Why do I need to do this? My child looks healthy.’ To them, I say ‘My child was healthy, too, and he’s gone,’” said Martha Lopez-Anderson, who is now the executive director of Parent Heart Watch.
“He was ten and he passed away 30 days after his well-child check. It was just like turning off the lights when he collapsed and died and he had no symptoms. Unfortunately, some children have no symptoms,” Lopez-Anderson said.
The nonprofit works tirelessly to distribute AEDs and to screen kids for an undiagnosed heart condition.
“Because they look like the picture of health, people don’t pay attention. They just don’t know that they should go seek medical attention,” Lopez-Anderson said.
“An AED is an automated external defibrillator. It basically is the device that is going to help shock the heart back to a normal rhythm when someone goes into a sudden cardiac arrest,” said Lori Peters with ZOLL Medical, the AED manufacturer.
The AED is designed for anyone to use with real-time audio and visual instructions to guide people through an emergency.
“Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, particularly active youth, so it’s really important to be protected to make sure that the staff, the kids, everyone at this club feels empowered, supported, that they have the right equipment, in the right place at the right time that’s accessible,” Peters said.
Experts say having these is key in places like a Boys and Girls Club that serves hundreds of kids ages 6-18.
Parent Heart Watch says it’s critical that people recognize the warning signs of a heart condition, including shortness of breath or chest pains. As children grow, so does their heart, and the organization says kids should be screened every other year.
“We had no idea that he had an underlying heart condition,” said Teresa Mago, who lost her 17-year-old son, Zac, one week shy of his 18th birthday.
“Zac had been screened when he was 14, and then he grew. Something changed. Four years later, no signs and symptoms. No warnings. My baby boy is gone,” said Mago said.
Feb. 7 is National Youth Heart Screening Day and there will be free screenings offered for kids. To find a location near you, check out ParentHeartWatch.org.