The Indian Prairie Educational Foundation on March 15 recognized Canadian National Railroad and Edward Heart Hospital for their financial support of Young Hearts for Life (YH4L), a cardiac screening program designed to identify high school and college students at risk for sudden cardiac death.
Pictured are Patrick Waldron, Manager Public Affairs, Canadian National Railroad, left; Rosemary Storm and her son, Chris Storm, a Waubonsie Valley High School student whose life was saved by a YHFL screening; Dr. Joseph Marek, a cardiologist with Midwest Heart-Advocate Medical Group and Medical Director of YHFL; Patty Smith, Board Member, Indian Prairie Educational Foundation and Kevin Callison, Manager, Cardiac Rehabilitation and Prevention, Edward Heart Hospital.
After the Young Hearts For Life photo op at Waubonsie Valley High School, Gordon Trafton, who serves on the Indian Prairie Educational Foundation, noted that all in attendance, including sponsors and other IPEF board members, had walked away even more impressed with the heart screening event and the work Young Hearts For Life does.
“What was really special, though, was the opportunity for the sponsors to spend time with the Storms to understand their story and how YH4L played a role in saving Christopher’s life,” e-mailed Trafton. “Conversely, they were able to spend time with a mother and father from Burbank, IL, who lost their son to the same heart condition Christopher has because there was no heart screening. The parents now volunteer at many of the YH4L heart screening events in the Chicago area to highlight the importance of this program and have been successful through their foundation in bringing YH4L to their community as well as others.”
Sudden cardiac death claims the lives of 60 young adults every week in the U.S. YHFL, in collaboration with high schools, hospitals, local businesses, families, and volunteers, has provided free cardiac screenings to more than 80,000 students.
For more information, visit www.yh4l.org.
Photo courtesy Edward Hospital
Next Up! Neuqua Valley High School YHFL Screenings – April 11, 12 & 19
Now that screenings at Metea Valley and Waubonsie Valley high schools have been held, the program also will be offered at on April 11, 12 and 19 at Neuqua Vallen High School.
Again, the Indian Prairie Educational Foundation is able to offer this program at no cost to students through the generous financial support of Canadian National and Edward Hospital. When asked to provide financial assistance, both companies did not hesitate to step forward to support this potentially lifesaving program as it aligns with their respective missions.
Parents who wish to have their child participate in the free screening program must enroll online by either clicking yh4l.midwestheart.org/YH_enroll.aspx or by visitingwww.yh4l.org. Participation is voluntary; however, all high school students are strongly encouraged to participate in the free screenings even if they were previously screened. An ECG screening is recommended every two years for students up until the age of 25. The results from the screening will be sent to parents via an email notification 3 to 4 weeks after the screening. All results are confidential and communicated through a secure system.
It is estimated that more than 200 adult volunteers are needed for each high school screening event. Contact your school if you are interested in volunteering. All volunteers are required to attend a training program that will occur the evening before the screenings begin.
To learn more about Young Hearts for Life, visit www.yh4l.org or call Johneen Davis, Program Director, at (630) 785-4366.
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