Thanks to the hard work of our wonderful CHLA Heart Centers Doctors - Michael Silka, Pierre Wong, Arno Hohn, Masato Takahashi, John Ellis (Los Robles), CHLA Techs and the generosity of Phillips postable Heartstream echocardiogram machines, we were able to provide free heart screenings for the Malibu Sharks Football Team, the coaches headed by Rich Lawson,and all the players and spectators who attended the "7th Annual Chad Volleyball Tourney" benefiting Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Heart Center, on September 30, 2001 at Zuma Beach in Malibu. 

One of our good friends wrote to thank us for all our hard work in trying to save young lives and said one of those lives may have been his own. After our initial echo screening, he heeded the CHLA doctors' recommendation to have further testing and ended up having a cardiac procedure in October of last year. He's in terrific shape and now a staunch believer in the importance of screening young athletes. 

Also, thanks to a very special gift and all your support, a gift of $10,000 was given to the Childrens Hospital Heart Center, on behalf of the donor's family and The Chad Foundation. We are so grateful for this gift which will help to save young hearts at one of the most renowned hospitals in the nation, CHLA Heart Center. 

Volleyball Olympian Holly McPeak and superstar Gabrielle Recce honoured us by joining in our tourney, and Laura Suico, Miss California, served as a special cohost. Team United provided special family entertainment and created a special song just for Chad! Everyone enjoyed their family show!

This year's  "Annual Chad Volleyball Tournament" benefiting Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Heart Center will be held on Sunday, August 17, 2002 in Hermosa Beach, CA. 
 

.. In November 2001, we were able to meet with Congresswoman Roybal Allard and Congresswoman Nedra Lowry's office in Washington, D.C., who were very supportive of our endeavours to raise awareness of Sudden Cardiac Death in Young People. In May 2002, I was invited to send public testimony to the Subcommittee on Health and Labor Practices. Due to the passion and dedication of other parents who have lost children to Sudden Cardiac Death, we are beginning to make progress. Recent guidelines now recommend that the first heart screening take place at 20 years of age. We need to lower this guideline to cover our high school students. The CDC's recent studies show a 10% increase in Sudden Cardiac Deaths in ages 15-35, and a substantial increase in hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity in teens. The HCM gene is present in 1 in 500 births. Help us screen young hearts by participating in our Cardiovasculat Screenings for High School and College Students. The Chad Foundation tries to provide $4000 worth of screenings for under $100 per student.
 

.. Following September 11, 2001, The Chad Foundation joined Dr. Arthur Roberts, President of the Living Heart Foundation, and the Edison Preservation Fund, to provide 1,745 free cardiovascular and pulmonary screenings fo our NYPD officers exposed to the contaminants of Ground Zero, at the Police Academy in NYC. 
 

..In the area of art, the Chad Foundation introduced the school book tape, "To an Athlete Dying Young," for McGraw Hill, which will be shown in 5,000 schools. I have also been invited to read my plan, "All About Sneakers" to teen groups due to its anti-promiscuity message. The screenplay version of "Welcome Home, Kelly!" is in development and will be a multicultural, Asian American indie film project to be sho in New York's Chinatown.
 

.. USA TODAY recently published an article on our cardiovascular screening program and our partnership with Living Heart Foundation and Agilent.  ... 

.. Chad Foundation, the Living Heart Foundation and Acuson collaborate to conduct preseason heart screenings on Columbia University football players. Senator Roy Goodman of New York extends his thanks. 

Our pilot program, "Cardiovascular Screening Program for Young Adults" in Holyoke, Massachusetts is up and running.  Agilent Technologies, the Chad Foundation and the Living Heart Foundation combined resources to administer a variety of screening tests, including echocardiogram screenings, to detect signs of heart disease in high school student athletes. Blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and body mass index were also measured. 

Dr. Michael Silka, Head of Cardiology, was kind enough to give Laura and Collin an extended tour of The Heart Center and Cardiac Intensive Care Unit for the babies, on May 21, 2001.  Terri Notari took photos and Rhonda, his wife, also attended the tour. It was a profound reminder for whom we work, the babies and children of CHLA Heart Center and the wonderful doctors who devote their lives to helping the kids live long healthy lives.  We look forward to a successful "Chad VB Tourney" for them!" 

..Chad and all his new young friends 'up the sky'  are helping our efforts to save these young lives.  Thank you all for your ongoing Love and support! 

Ongoing projects:

• Chad Foundation goes Off Broadway
• Chad's mother outlines current goals for The Chad Foundation

 

Other echocardiogram screenings sponsored by The Chad Foundation For Athletes and Artists:

• August 14, 2001 - Columbia University to become the first school in the nation to conduct preseason heart screenings on its football players...featured in USA TODAY.

 
• September 16, 2000 - Free echocardiogram screenings for athletes at Fountain Valley High School, in memory of Scotty Lang

 
• July 28, 2000 - Free echocardiogram screenings for athletes at North Hollywood High School

 

For more information about cardiomyopathy, check this list of resources.