The PEYTON WALKER FOUNDATION has events planned to raise awareness and education about Sudden Cardiac Arrest, which takes the life of a teen every hour, every single day. The Foundation has partnered with all major healthcare providers in Central Pennsylvania and beyond including UPMC Pinnacle, WellSpan, Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Penn Medicine and Geisinger. PIAAA District 3 and the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association – Big 33 have also combined efforts.
Upcoming events include FREE Student Heart Screenings at:
King’s College with Geisinger Wilkes Barre
Saturday, October 6th
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Wilkes Barre, PA
Carlisle Area High School with UPMC Pinnacle
Saturday, December 1st
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Carlisle, PA
Red Lion Area High School
Red Lion, PA
Spring 2019
Date To Be Determined
In addition, the Foundation is spreading their vital message around the Harrisburg Region on CAT buses and billboards as well as through its powerful social media following. Also, planned this year are:
- CPR Demos at The Conference For Women – Be Extraordinary (October 31st at Holiday Inn Grantville,)
- CPR Class on November 10th – Chambers Hill Fire Company.
“Our main mission is to increase awareness and survival rates for Sudden Cardiac Arrest through education, screenings and training and Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month is a critical time to get our message out and drive home the importance of this often times undetected killer of our students,” said Julie Walker, founder and director of The Peyton Walker Foundation. Julie and her family tragically lost their beautiful 19-year-old daughter Peyton unexpectedly from SCA while she was a student at King’s College, nearly five years ago.
“We emphasize to schools and families, that Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is not a heart attack – it’s the sudden onset of an abnormal and potentially fatal heart rhythm that causes the heart to beat ineffectively or not at all. But, heart issues that can lead to SCA can be detected through an EKG or Electrocardiogram. It’s so scary to think that SCA is the #2 medical cause of death in youth under 25, and the leading cause of death on school campuses, but together we can prevent it from taking the lives of our precious children and teens,” Walker added. “Finding undiagnosed heart conditions is the key to saving lives. Sadly, children do not receive a routine heart screening (EKG) as part of their normal physicals or sports physicals.”
Facts about Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA):
- SCA is one of the leading causes of death in the US (over 600,000 annually).
- SCA is the #1 killer of student athletes in the U.S.
In recent months, the Foundation has hosted a special fundraiser, THE BEAT GOES ON, held numerous free heart screenings including one at Donegal High School in Mt. Joy with Lancaster General Hospital and CHOP, and participated in Dauphin County’s JazzFest and visited Trinity High School with free CPR and AED demos.
WHY:
Every hour, every day a student dies from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) and it’s the mission of The Peyton Walker Foundation to drastically reduce that number by checking hearts, protecting hearts and saving lives through education about SCA in youth and screening students to ensure that THE BEAT GOES ON!
The Foundation holds FREE HEART SCREENING CLINICS for students ages 12-19 in the Central PA area. To date, they are proud to have screened approximately 1,600 students leading to potential life-saving medical attention in several cases. The Foundation provides 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. Over 150 attendees from the region have been certified through their training process.
- Some warning symptoms that can lead to SCA include:
- dizziness
- fainting
- shortness of breath
- chest pain
- lightheadedness
- passing out
- The first symptom of SCA is often sudden death.
- The use of AEDs and CPR increase the chances of surviving an SCA event.
For more information on Sudden Cardiac Arrest in youth, how you can donate or to find a FREE heart screening location, please visit www.peytonwalker.org.