Premier Magazine Premier Magazine July 2019 | Page 8

SCENE
P R OT E C T I N G
YO U N G  L I V E S  I S  A
HEARTFELT
MISSION
In August 2017, on a soccer fi eld in Westminster, a healthy, young player
collapsed on the sidelines. CPR was given, and paramedics arrived but
were unable to revive him. Felipe De La Cruz tragically lost his life that day
to sudden cardiac arrest. He was 13 years old.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) claims the lives of over 450,000 Americans
each year and is the #1 killer in the United States. SCA can result in the
death of individuals who may or may not know of pre-existing heart
conditions.
SCA o en occurs in active, seemingly healthy people with no known heart
disease or other health problems. But the truth is that it is not a random
event. Most victims already have heart disease or other health problems of
which they are entirely unaware. Fortunately, lives can be saved with early
detection.
Holly Morrell, the founder of Heartfelt, lost six of her family members to a
heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and is one of three of
her family members that live with the disease. She began her screening
eff orts in 1999 and dedicates her work to them and to all the families she
has helped to fi nd heart conditions that can be dealt with before tragedy
strikes.
8 | AdrienneBrandes.com