Mom warns of sudden cardic death in young athletes
Will Nunnaly and Kourtni Livingston were student athletes who died with undiagnosed heart conditions.
August 9 , 2006
PLANO – Across North Texas, students are lacing up their sneakers for football practice or ordinary gym class. Nationwide, thousands of youngsters will die unexpectedly from undiagnosed heart conditions. Sudden cardiac arrest kills up to 10,000 youngsters every year.
Ann Nunnaly’s heart breaks every time she reads messages written in a scrapbook passed around at her son’s funeral. Two years ago, Will Nunnaly collapsed playing floor hockey during P.E. class at Plano West High School.
"Apparently they went right over and did CPR. and called 911, and called the nurse,” Nunnaly remembered.
Will was just 16 years old when he died of a heart attack.
Four years ago, Kourtni Livingston fell victim running laps on the DeSoto High School track. Her condition could have been detected with a simple test. An echocardiogram can find rare and often deadly heart conditions with 99 percent accuracy. They are not part of regular school physicals, though, and most insurance companies won't pay for them as part of a health screening.
Dallas Mavericks team doctor Tarek Souryal has long believed echocardiograms should be required for everyone—not just professional or varsity athletes.
"I'm worried about that one case where a healthy fit athlete drops dead on the football field,” Dr. Souryal said. “I don't want that to happen on my watch."
Doctors knew of Will Nunnaly’s heart condition and had cleared him for exercise. In the 11 minutes it took an ambulance to arrive, his mother believes a portable heart defibrillator could have saved his life. That was not an option in his school at his school.
Now, Ann Nunnally and her Parent Heart Watch organization believe portable defibrillators are just as important as cardiac screening.
“Think about how much money is spent on uniforms and equipment,” Nunnally said. “This is another piece of equipment that can save a child's life—just like a helmet, shoulder pads."
Following Will’s death, Plano ISD purchased defibrillators for every campus. The machines cost around $2,000.00 each. Nunnaly says all parents should check with their children’s campus to see if the school has one readily available.
Questions to ask before your child participates in any strenuous activity
Find out if anyone in your family...
- Has died due to heart attack before age 50
- Has an enlarged heart
- Had any other heart problems before age 50
- Has a heart murmur
- Had an unexplained sudden death, including sudden infant death
- Had a seizure
Ask your child...
- Have you ever suffered chest pain after exercising?
- Have you ever had trouble breathing?
- Have you ever felt really tired or sick after exercise?
- Have you ever felt that your heart was beating too fast?
Questions to ask your doctor..
- What is my child's blood pressure?
- What is his/her heart rate when sitting up? Lying down?
- What is his/her pulse rate at the wrist? Groin? Ankle?
- How much would a 12-lead echocardiogram cost?
Questions to ask your coach and school...
- Do you have a defibrillator on campus?
- If so, where is it? Where is it during practice and games?
- How many people are trained to use the defibrillator?
- Is there an emergency plan to deal with a child's collapse? Can I see it?
Also Online (click links)
