Brock William Saparto
Memorial Foundation
Fourth Annual BWS Baseball/Softball Classic
Medford OR * June 29-30 2024
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Sudden Cardiac Arrest
in Youth, a Primer
Brock was a gifted athlete and seemingly healthy. After Brock’s passing, our family learned his heart was enlarged. Knowing Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is the number one killer of young athletes, we strive with this effort to raise awareness of this often undiagnosed condition in young people and prevent similar tragedies for other families.
What is Sudden Cardiac Arrest?
The Parent Heart Watch website describes Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) as a life-threatening emergency that occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating. It strikes people of all ages who may seem to be healthy, even children and teens.
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When SCA happens, the person collapses and doesn’t respond or breathe normally. They may gasp or shake as if having a seizure.
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SCA leads to death in minutes if the person does not get help right away. Survival depends on people nearby calling 911, starting CPR, and using an AED (if available) as soon as possible.
It's Not Rare
Even further, the same website reports that SCA is the leading cause of death in the U.S., taking the lives of 356,000 people annually. But what most parents don’t know is that SCA is the #1 killer of student athletes and the leading cause of death on school campuses. One in 300 youth has an undetected heart condition that puts them at risk. In fact, an estimated 7,000 to 23,000 youth are stricken annually.
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So why are we often led to believe that SCA in youth is “too rare” to worry about? The precise incidence of SCA in youth is presently unknown due to the lack of a mandatory and systematic national registry of SCA/SCD in youth. Parent Heart Watch strongly advocates for the establishment of such a registry to provide more accurate data that will motivate new research and strategies that will lead to SCA and SCD prevention.
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Sudden Cardiac Arrest Information and Awareness: Getting Started
According to the experts, Sudden Cardiac Arrest is preventable. Join us, each doing our part to learn and promote awareness and prevention of SCA, particularly in youth.
While Parent Heart Watch and Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes (SADS) Foundation are favorites of many foundation members due to their focus on families, youth and youth athletes, below are other organizations also actively involved in the work of SCA awareness and prevention for all ages;