Heart Screening Day
I had the opportunity to participate last week with members of the Rotary Club of Monroe at The Nick of Time Foundation's Heart Screening Day at Monroe High School. Also helping out were the Monroe Fire Department, the Sports Medicine Class, and Bearcat Pride Parents. 440 students were screened. Of those 19 were sent for follow up evaluations and of those two were immediate follow ups.
Here are Monroe Rotary members Ken Hoover and Collette Reams.
Last month the Foundation did a screening at Meadowdale High School in the Edmonds School District. Here is a post from the Foundation's Facebook page-
Part of a letter, from a parent of a student we screened last week- This is why NoTF does what we do!
"I want to thank you so much for your part in bringing the Nick of Time Foundation heart screenings to MHS. I wound up bringing my two sons, ages 14 and 12 to the screening for a “routine” heart screening, thinking we would be in and out in a flash. It turned out a bit different than I had expected, but I am very grateful for this. My 14 year old wound up with three abnormal EKGs followed by an echocardiogram that showed he has a congenital heart defect!
I spoke with the cardiologist from Children’s Hospital and he explained that my son has WPW Syndrome, an electrical defect that usually doesn’t show up until adolescence or young adulthood. He has his follow up appointment for further testing this week.
I am a very proactive parent, and had seen symptoms in my son for two years. For the last two years he has complained of dizziness, light headedness and heart palpitations. I have even picked him up from his middle school because he was “sick”. The school secretary said he didn't have a temperature, but he was lightheaded and pale. He just didn't “seem” right, she said. I took him to his primary care physician, who listened to his heart and said it sounded fine. He suggested that he was an anxious child. From that perspective, I agreed and we went on about our business. Unfortunately, a routine doctor exam doesn't include an EKG, and his heart defect was missed.
If it weren't for all of you folks, I shudder to think what might have been for my family, and other families whose kids were diagnosed with heart problems that day as well."
Does this give you chills? This is exactly why the Foundation does what it does. We are looking forward to the day the Foundation comes to Lake Stevens! Keep up the great work Darla, Sue, Steve, et. al.