I became involved with Midwest Heart Foundation's Young Hearts for Life program shortly after my own daughter, Katie, was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. Katie is a success story. She had an ablation procedure done and is completely healthy today. Having been involved with Young Hearts for Life the past 4 years has given me a sense of purpose. Working with the kids, hearing them laugh, seeing them smile, talking to them, assuring them - brightens my day. When you hear them talk of their future plans, or the game they will be playing later, or the club that they are president of, you realize how precious these young adults are. They are just beginning their lives and have so many hopes and dreams. As a volunteer with Young Hearts for Life, I know I play a small part in making sure they ALL get a chance to achieve those dreams.
Chris S. -YH4L Volunteer
I signed our son up for a free ECG at Montini High School, not expecting any bad news. Jon had never experienced any signs of heart problems. Because Jon had an EKG that day, he was diagnosed with a potentially life threatening heart condition that often goes undetected. He underwent a surgical procedure called ablation and has completely recovered from the procedure. The cardiologist who did the ablation told us that 60% of the time, these types of cardiac conditions are diagnosed via an autopsy. We thank Dr. Marek and Midwest Heart for the vision to implement Young Hearts for Life.
Mr. and Mrs. W.
I am a student who was tested with an ECG when you came to my high school. Luckily my test showed that I had Long QT Syndrome before it was too late. I would like to thank you so much for helping me find out about it. Me and my family are so grateful.
Konrad M. (student)
I recently had the opportunity to volunteer for the Young Hearts for Life program. This is a top rated program. Everything was done in such a professional manner. The students were explained the procedure and their privacy was put ahead of everything else. As a volunteer, we were treated with respect and taught why it is so important for our children to be screened. We all want to thank Young Hearts for Life and all those who worked so hard to bring this program to our school. I would volunteer with them anytime.
Sarah M.
My son was in gym class and mentioned to his instructor that his heart didn’t feel quite right. Fortunately, Young Hearts for Life was at the school doing ECGs. Jonathon was tested and we found out he had HCM (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy). Prior to the screening done by Young Hearts for Life, we were unaware of any heart condition. We subsequently had the family tested and found that one of my daughters also has HCM. We are now in a program where our physician is monitoring their conditions on a regular basis. We hope that their conditions do not get worse, but are thankful that we have identified this potential risk early and can monitor it. We are thankful for those who support Young Hearts for Life.
Tom C.
Danny graduated before the Young Hearts for Life program came to his school. I can’t help but wonder, “if only” … We lost our son to Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM). Dan was tall and thin, with a radiant smile and a wonderful laugh. He showed o warning signs to tell us that something was wrong. Because of HCM, Danny was gone in an instant. Now life is divided into before and after. Our children belong to our future. We do not visualize our future without them. I miss Dan every day.
If I could be granted 3 wishes, obviously the first would be to have Danny back and healthy. My second wish is that no other parent ever knows what it is like to lose a child. My third wish is that every student at every school participates in the Young Hearts for Life screening program. It’s too late to save Danny. But please know how much it means to me that you are working so hard to save lives. Some people make creative, helpful additions to our culture. This is what I believe Young Hearts for Life is doing. From the bottom of this grieving mother’s heart, I thank you and I am so very proud to be connected with Young Hearts for Life.
Mary W.
After my daughter went through the YH4L screening program, I received a phone call from Midwest Heart Foundation stating that she needed further testing. Gianna was seen by a pediatric cardiologist. After a series of tests, it was confirmed that she did have Long QT Syndrome, a life-threatening heart condition. Because Long QT is genetic, the rest of our family was tested. I was found to have Long QT Syndrome. After a trial of medication, Gianna’s cardiologist felt that an internal cardiac defibrillator (ICD) was indicated. Gianna had surgery and received her defibrillator and I received mine one month later. I truly believe that because of performing this ECG on my daughter, she now can avoid any dangerous activity and lead a long and happy life. Young Hearts for Life not only saved my daughter’s life, but also saved mine.”
Shari D.
We are the parents of a student who received a free ECG at Glenbard South High School. We are so happy we decided to give permission to Midwest Heart Foundation to allow our daughter to undergo the testing. It is because of Young Hearts for life that our daughter is alive today. Our daughter was found to have an abnormal heart beat called WPW (Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome). After many doctor appointments, Samantha underwent a cardiac procedure called an ablation. As our daughter healed and resumed her school days, she had much success. This program is such a blessing to our family and the school system.
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel D.
“Our daughter had an ECG as part of the Young Hearts for Life screening at Glenbard North High School. I received a call from Dr. Marek the afternoon of the screening. I was told that although Collette’s ECG was abnormal, it did not show changes that suggested she was at risk for sudden cardiac death. Dr. Marek explained that the findings might be within normal range, but it should be brought to the attention of our family doctor especially if she was having any health issues.
In fact, we were concerned about Collette. Her hands were shaky: she would sleep only a couple of hours each night and her school performance was suffering. Because of the concern about her ECG at the screening, we saw our family physician. Testing was done and she was diagnosed with an over active thyroid (Grave’s Disease). Collette was started on medication and received radiation therapy. She can sleep now and her concentration has improved so much so that her school performance has improved also. We are happy that she was tested and grateful that her illness, previously undetected, was discovered. She is attending college and doing well.