To save as many children's lives as we can, The Chad Foundation advocates the following measures, and in partnering with Agilent Technologies hopes to provide more and more "Free Echocardiogram Screenings for High School/College Athletes and Students" in cities across the U.S.: 
 

Mandatory Echocardiograms for High School and College Athletes and Students


In Italy, and Japan Electrocardiographs are a mandatory screening requirement for all athletes and are paid for by the government.

On July 27th, the The Chad Foundation provided the first "Day of Free Screening (Echocardiograms) For Athletes at North Hollywood High School." Agilent Technologies donated the $250,000 echocardiogram machines and the world-renown cardiologists at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Heart Center volunteered their time to do the screenings. This service was provided to all athletes regardless of their ability to pay. Echocardiograms which range from $1400 to $2000 are normally not covered by insurance companies for screening young athletes but medical experts consider echocardiograms- ultra sound tests that are painless and non-invasive, the best way to detect structural heart disorders. Though more expensive than electrocardiograms, they are effective in detecting defects such as "hypertrophic cardiomyopathy" (abnormal thickening of the left ventricular wall). Medical experts consider "hypertrophic cardiomyopathy" (HCM) the most common hidden killer among young athletes. HCM took the lives of basketball greats, Hank Gathers and Reggie Lewis. (My son, Chad, died of dilated cardiomyopathy with no previous history.) A study by the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research found of 134 athletes who died of heart problems between 1985-95, the majority (62%) were high school students. In a recent six-month period - Aug. 18, 1995 to Feb. 17, 1996 - fourteen (14) sudden cardiac deaths occurred across the USA. All were male athletes, aged 13-18, who had physicals and were cleared to compete. 

RESULT: Out of the 52 athletes we screened at North Hollywood High School, two minor abnormalities were found, a small hole in the heart and a very mild thickening of the walls of the left side of the heart. Dr. Pierre Wong, Director of Echocardiography and Transplant Cardiology at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Heart Center, said the two athletes could still play sports but follow-up with a cardiologist was recommended to their parents. 

On Sept. 16, 2000, The Chad Foundation sponsored A Heart for Sports who provided "A Free Day of 400 Echocardiograms for Athletes at Fountain Valley High School in honor of Scotty Lang who died at 16 years of age while at football practice." Result: out of 350 screenings, 5 heart abnormalities were detected. It is our feeling that our country should mandate that echocardiogram screenings should be given to all athletes just as they are in Italy and Japan.
 
 

The David Deuel Bill

A Good Samaritan law limiting liability for emergency use of Automatic External Defibrillators (AED's) in public places, including public schools,.or while engaged in the activities that are part of the program of a public school. (In February 1999, 13-year-old David Deuel died of heart failure while playing basketball. Doctors said his life could have been saved if the community center where he was playing had been equipped with a defibrillator. The American Heart Association was a strong proponent of AB409, the "David Deuel Bill," andwe hope for passage of this bill in more states. (I have just met with Senator Roy Goodman's office who orginated the Good Samartian AED law in NY, and will propse that public schools, transportation, and activities at achool or rec centers also be included.)

Availability of AED's (Automatic External Defibrillators) in every High School, College, and Youth Recreational Facility

The American Red Cross has embarked upon a massive AED program for the corporate sector, providing AED's and training. Recently, through this program, an attorney's life was saved at Grand Central Station by the use of an AED which was barely unpacked. (The American Red Cross- NY has expressed possible interest in our "High School AED Project as this is a major area yet to be addressed.). Indiana Pacers Coach Larry Bird has an AED on court at all times for his players and his own heart condition.. Also, this year, the NYPD began a newly trained AED Unit in response to  the 53,000 calls they receive annually. (Through Agilent, we would like to introduce AED's into each school we provide the free screenings to.)

A National Registry for Sudden Death in Sports Victims

At present, we have no way to assess accurately how many young people actually die annually of SDIS or HCM (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the no. 1 killer in most deaths), unless they are celebrity status or happen to make the newspapers. Dr. Silka, head of Cardiology at CHLA, feels such a registry would help Doctors understand what to look for in young athletes and therefore better formulate a detection/prevention program. (I have recently met with Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney who will write to the Center of Disease Control regarding the creation of such a register.)

The Chad Foundation for Athletes and Artists is delighted and thankful to be working with Agilent Technologies on both coasts. We hope our next event in LA for screening athletes will be USC, and in New York, we would be honoured to have St. Luke's Hospital kick off our first "Free Echocardiogram Screenings for NY Athletes and Students." I am also very excited about the participation of any of the other 6 hospitals Continuum Health Partners service in metro New York. I am also contacting Reggie Lewis's Mother to see if we can do a screening at one Reggie's inner city basketball camps in his honour, in Baltimore. We would also like to follow up all screening events by donating an Agilent Heartstream AED's. 
 
 

Arista
President and Founder.. and Chad's Mom, the most important role in Life