Sudden Cardiac Arrest Screenings Slated at Cherry Hill East

Hank Gathers. Korey Stringer. Reggie Lewis. Pete Maravich.

The list of seemingly healthy athletes who have died from sudden cardiac arrest is long and growing—even among teens.

The NCAA estimates one in 40,000 athletes will die because of a sudden cardiac incident, and 75 percent of athlete deaths are attributable to sudden cardiac events, by far the leading cause of death among athletes. Roughly 2,000 students die because of sudden cardiac arrest every year, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

With those statistics in mind, students in Cherry Hill’s schools can take a step toward prevention in a free cardiac screening next month at Cherry Hill East, provided by Simon’s Fund, a nonprofit organization that has provided heart screenings to over 6,000 students in the area.

“We know that SCA takes the lives of thousands of students every year,” said Darren Sudman, co-founder and executive director of Simon’s Fund. “At our screenings, one out of every 100 students discovers a heart condition. These screenings are the most effective way to prevent sudden cardiac arrest and death in students.”

The free screening at Cherry Hill East will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 7, where students will get a physical and an electrocardiogram exam, with some students getting an echocardiogram as necessary.

Kids between the ages of 10 and 19 can participate, and registration is required ahead of the screenings at simonsfund.org, which also has more information about sudden cardiac arrest risks.