Montco group to provide heart screenings in Radnor
This just in, from Simon's Fund, a nonprofit that seeks to identify children with heart defects who might be in danger of dying:
On Saturday, September 17, Simon's Fund will host a free heart screening for Radnor School District students, aged 10 – 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Radnor High School. Conducted by the medical team from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) led by Dr. Victoria Vetter, each student will receive an ECG exam, a physical exam, and if necessary, an echocardiogram. Simon's Fund's Radnor screening is being held with the support of Simon Prushan, a Radnor Middle School student who selected Simon's Fund as his bar mitzvah project.
"When I learned that Simon's Fund screen's kid's hearts to help prevent deaths, I thought it was important," says Simon Prushan. "I thought that if I did this I could make a difference in the community by saving one or two peoples lives."
Every year thousands of children, like local student Akhir Frazier, die too soon from sudden cardiac arrest. A simple heart screening, like the one being offered by Simon's Fund, will detect up to 85 percent of the conditions that lead to sudden cardiac arrest and death. Students may register for the screening at simonsfund.org/register.
Simon's Fund and CHOP have been providing heart screenings for students for the past four years and have screened close to 3,000 students. Aggregated data from the screenings shows that 1 out of every 100 children screened will show signs of a potentially fatal heart condition.
Simon's Fund was created by Phyllis and Darren Sudman following the passing of Simon Sudman, their three-month-old son who died suddenly in his sleep in January 2004. While investigating the cause of his death, the Sudman Family was advised to get ECG exams. As a result, Phyllis Sudman was diagnosed with Long QT Syndrome, a condition that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest and/or death. Most of these conditions can be detected with an ECG exam and treated with medication. Simon's Fund is committed to raising awareness about these conditions and providing free heart screenings to students in the region.
Phyllis Sudman, co-founder of Simon's Fund says: "By providing this very inexpensive, painless and effective exam, we will decrease the number of children that drop dead from sudden cardiac arrest."
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