The Peyton Walker Foundation will join PA State Sen. Mike Regan (R-Senate District 31) and parents from Pennsylvania and Texas who tragically lost their children to Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) at a media conference at the Pa. State Capitol Rotunda, noon on October 21, to call for passage of Senate Bill 836 known as “Peyton’s Law.” Peyton Walker, a 19-year-old Mechanicsburg, Pa. native, was a sophomore at Kings College in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. studying to be a physician assistant when she suffered a fatal Sudden Cardiac Arrest on November 2, 2013. After her death, Peyton’s family researched SCA and found that kids are dying every day from undiagnosed heart issues.
SB 836 would enhance the existing PIAA Sports Physical form to include information about requesting an electrocardiogram (EKG) as part of sports physicals. Peyton’s Law aims to protect students and provide them and their families with resources to make informed health decisions. Additionally, the law would require that the Pa. Department of Education post information on their website about Sudden Cardiac Arrest, the importance of EKGs and the signs and symptoms of heart disease that can lead to cardiac arrest.
WHO:
- Julie B. Walker, Executive Director, The Peyton Walker Foundation
- Sen. Mike Regan (R-Senate District 31)
- Scott Stephens, President, Cody Stephens Foundation, Texas
- (Scott’s son Cody died of an undetected heart condition weeks before his high school graduation. The Stephens family spearheaded legislation in Cody’s memory that serves as a model for SB 836. Texas HB 76, passed in 2019, gives parents in every school district the right to choose heart screening for their child. Seven years after Cody’s death, more than 30% of all Texas schools offer heart screening.)
- Adam Breneman, former All-American college football player/sports commentator
- Leading Pennsylvania healthcare professionals
- Central Pa. high school students and representatives of youth sports organizations
- Families saved by PWF’s screenings, AED donations, trainings and beyond
WHAT: Media Conference to Support SB 836WHEN:NOON, Monday, October 21, 2019
WHERE: State Capitol Rotunda, 501 N. Third Street, Harrisburg, Pa. 17120
VIDEO LINK: Peyton’s story and the Foundation’s life-saving mission
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h7tcjOQ5gg
“Senate Bill 836 is a vital step in our journey to save more young lives from Sudden Cardiac Arrest,” said Julie Walker, executive director of The Peyton Walker Foundation. “We know that information is power and if parents and guardians are alerted to the fact that baseline heart screenings can detect their child’s potential risks for SCA, we believe schools should be required to present that life-saving information to families. We are grateful to Sen. Regan for being a heart hero and helping to champion greater awareness of how to prevent these tragic deaths from happening every day across Pennsylvania.”
“I am proud to join Julie Walker, her family, The Peyton Walker Foundation and Sen. Regan to work for passage of SB 836 to help spare other families the heartaches of losing a precious young loved one to Sudden Cardiac Arrest such as we have,” added Scott Stephens, president, Cody Stephens Foundation, Texas. “We encourage everyone to join us at the Capitol on Oct. 21 and to lobby their members of the General Assembly for passage of this critical, life-saving legislation, as we did successfully in Texas to honor the legacy of our son.”Checking Hearts. Protecting Hearts. Saving Lives from Sudden Cardiac Arrest.The Peyton Walker Foundation strives to boost survival rates for Sudden Cardiac Arrest by donating Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to youth sports and non-profit organizations, screening students and training community members in life-saving interventions like Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). According to the American Red Cross, AEDs can analyze the heart’s rhythm and, if necessary, deliver an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm. Because they are portable, AEDs can be used by anyone to potentially save a life. When someone is in cardiac arrest, it is imperative to follow three critical steps:
- CALL 911
- PUSH hard and fast on the chest (CPR)
- SHOCK with an AED
Facts about Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA):
- SCA is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. (over 600,000 annually).
- SCA is the #1 killer of student-athletes in the U.S.
- Every hour, every day, a student dies from SCA.
- SCA is the leading cause of death on school campuses.
- Most heart conditions that lead to SCA are detectable and treatable.
About Peyton Walker Foundation:
The Foundation holds FREE HEART SCREENING CLINICS for students ages 12-19 in the Central Pa. area and beyond. To date, they are proud to have screened nearly 3,000 students leading to potential life-saving medical attention in various cases. The Foundation also has donated more than $75,000 in educational scholarships. They also offer FREE AED and CPR training to every STUDENT who attends their heart screenings allowing students and their families a chance to perform hands-on CPR and gain a better understanding of what an AED is and how to use it. The Foundation provides other FREE community CPR and AED Trainings. Peyton Walker was a 19-year-old Mechanicsburg native, 2012 Trinity High School graduate, and a sophomore in college who was pursuing a career as a Physician Assistant at Kings College in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. when she suffered a Sudden Cardiac Arrest that took her young and vibrant life on November 2, 2013. Afterwards, her family started researching SCA, and found that kids are dying every day from undiagnosed heart issues. The PEYTON WALKER FOUNDATION was established in honor of Peyton’s memory and her dreams of a medical profession to help and care for others. Their mission is to increase awareness and survival rates of Sudden Cardiac Arrest through education, screening and training. Events, screenings and important updates can be found at PeytonWalker.org.
#CheckingHearts #ProtectingHearts #SavingLives