| The Pulse.....Let the Beat Go On |
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| Volume 2 Issue 1 |
January-March 2008 |
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Greetings!
Welcome to the First Quarter 2008 issue of the Parent Heart Watch newsletter, The Pulse...Let the Beat Go On. 2008 will be a very busy and exciting year for Parent Heart Watch (PHW). As you read the newsletter you will learn about the exciting accomplishments of the quarter and the upcoming activities.
Once again, we would really appreciate feedback about the format and content of our newsletter. We can only improve if you take the time to share your thoughts.
Sincerely,
Linette Derminer
Executive Director |
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 Parent Heart Watch 3rd Annual Leadership Conference
Parent Heart Watch held its 3rd Annual Leadership Conference in Seattle, Washington over the weekend of January 18 to 21, 2008.
A heart screening sponsored by Parent Heart Watch, the Anthony Bates Foundation, and the Nick of Time Foundation was held prior to the conference on Thursday, January 17. A Continuing Medical Education (CME) Conference, also sponsored by Parent Heart Watch, was held at the University of Washington on Friday, January 18.
Sharon Bates, Parent Heart Watch member and Founder and President of the Anthony Bates Foundation, wrote a wonderful summary of the weekend. The summary was so well received that EP (Electrophysiology Professional) Lab Digest published the article in its April 16, 2008 issue. To read about the entire weekend, use the following link. Congratulations and thanks Sharon!
To view additional pictures from the Leadership Conference, use the "PHW Web Site" quick link above, then find the PHW Leadership Conference tab and 2008 Leadership Conference. |
| Parent Heart Watch Membership
PHW has experienced tremendous growth in the last few months. Twenty six new members joined in the first quarter of 2008. These new members are listed below.
We hope that you will take the time to contact new members in your state or region and welcome them to Parent Heart Watch. To meet these new members, use the above link to the PHW web site and check out the membership pages. Remember, you must be a registered member to gain access.
Holly Morrell, California Corinne Ruiz, California
Sherri Hopkins, Connecticut Evelyn and Larry Pontbriant, Connecticut
Elliot Fisch, Florida Linda Chaize, Florida
Dr. Joseph Marek, M.D., Illinois Starla Street, Illinois
Tina Baldwin, Maine Jay Shiel, Massachusetts
Kevin Greene, Maryland Sandra Allen-Cary, Michigan
Jo Passenheim, Minnesota Howard Blumenau, New York
Tommie Polk, North Carolina Scott Taber,North Carolina
Teri Grdgon, North Carolina Ken Bertke, Ohio
Carla Johns, Pennsylvania Elaine Liberati, Pennsylvania
Michelle Garcia, Texas Pamela Owens, Texas
Jeff Carlson, Texas Corrie Stassen, Texas
Larry Lustig, Washington Teri Burt, Washington |
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Upcoming National & Regional Events
PHW staff will participate in the following health related events during the next quarter. If you live in the area of these events and would like to participate, please contact Linette Derminer at (440) 466-0417.
Symposium: Screening Athletes to Avoid Sudden Cardiac Death
May 12, 2008 -State-of-the-Art Evaluation of Athletes: Avoiding Sudden Cardiac Death sponsored by Main Line Health Heart Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The symposium will be held at the Hyatt Regency Philadelphia at Penn's Landing, Philadelphia, PA. The symposium will be held between 11:30 am-5:00 pm. To learn more and register for the event, click on the underlined link above.
May 14-17, 2008 - The national conference sponsored by the Heart Rhythm Society, will be held in beautiful San Francisco, CA. The premier conference on cardiac arrhythmias offers comprehensive coverage of the subjects that matter most to heart rhythm professionals. To learn more about the event, use the underlined link above.
Emergency Cardiovascular Care Update 2008
June 13-15, 2008 - Emergency Cardiovascular Care Update International Educational Conference & Exposition will be held at Bally's in Las Vegas, Nevada. To learn more about the event, click on underlined link above.
If your local organization will be holding an event, or participating in an event you may post the event on the PHW web site calendar. For help in learning how to do this, contact Laura Friend at laura@parentheartwatch.org. |
 Experienced Leaders - Arista
THE CHAD FOUNDATION FOR ATHLETES AND ARTISTS
The Gift of Heart and Art
On April 29, 1994, Chad was playing football in Van Nuys, CA, and collapsed and died suddenly with no history of heart disease. To honor my son's spirit, THE CHAD FOUNDATION FOR ATHLETES AND ARTISTS was founded to inspire youth to live as he did anti-substance abuse and alcohol-free, "healthy body/mind/spirit."
To prevent sudden cardiac death in young people, the Chad Foundation provides echocardiogram heart screenings to detect premature risk factors such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the leading silent killer of sudden cardiac death in young athletes.
In July 2000, The Chad Foundation provided the first "Free Echocardiogram Screening for High School Athletes" in the nation at Chad's alma mater, North Hollywood High School in North Hollywood, CA. Since that time high schools and universities in five states and globally have participated by safeguarding their athletes and students through The Chad Foundation Cardiovascular Screening Program. To date, we have provided over 4,200 free heart screenings for youth and the indigent thanks to cardiologists from renowned U.S. hospitals such as Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and Johns Hopkins Medical Center.
Thanks to recent grants from The Medtronic Foundation and The Green Foundation, The Chad Foundation will purchase Cholestech machines to expand its cardiovascular screening program to include screenings tests for high cholesterol and diabetes in youth in addition to the echocardiogram and blood pressure.
To learn more about THE CHAD FOUNDATION FOR ATHLETES AND ARTISTS, use the following link. Chad Foundation |
New Member Spotlight - Jackie Renfrow
Jackie Renfrow lives in Franklin, Indiana. Jackie lost two children, Jimmy and Crissy, to sudden cardiac arrest.
"Having seizures in my family was very common. Most family members, including Jimmy, Crissy, and I were treated for epilepsy." On April 15, 2000, Jimmy had a seizure and died. Jimmy left behind a two year old daughter Alexis.  (See picture to right.)
In 2002, Crissy had a daughter, Jessica. On July 25, 2003, when Jessica was only ten months old, Crissy had a seizure and died. She was 21 years old. (See picture below.)
"Only ten months after the death of my daughter, my Mom was taken to the hospital for a panic attack. That's when they discovered we have Long QT Syndrome. A simple EKG could have saved the life of my children. Jimmy and Crissy are gone, but never forgotten!"
Jackie works at Perry Township Schools as the catering manager. "We have 18 schools and 15,000 students." Jackie and Cindy Gilbert, the Nursing Supervisor, are putting together the first ever heart screening for a school system in the state of Indiana. Perry Township is where Jimmy and Crissy attended School. This fact makes the upcoming event even more special.
Jackie's family story has been featured in ten newspaper articles, several television interviews including the local ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox affiliates, and one radio broadcast. An article also appeared in the Southside Magazine.
Jackie plans to start a foundation in memory of Jimmy and Crissy. "One day I hope to be able to put all my efforts toward saving young adults and children from SCA."
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National CPR/AED Awareness Week
June 1-7, 2008 - In late December 2007, the federal government passed a bill designating the first week of June as "National Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Awareness Week". This provides a great opportunity to work with your local American Heart Association and American Red Cross organizations to promote heart safety. Below is an example of the leadership that a PHW member is taking to create awareness during the week.
Parent Heart Watch Board member Rhonda Foster, also of Take It To Heart Foundation, is organizing a mass CPR/AED training event in Harrisburg, PA. Use the following link to learn more about the event.
We encourage all PHW members to do something, take a CPR/AED class, donate an AED, etc., during the National CPR/AED Awareness Week. Also, please let Linette Derminer know about your event or activity. You can contact Linette at Linette@parentheartwatch.org. |
 Donations
In order for Parent Heart Watch to continue its mission, as the national voice protecting youth from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) and preventable Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD), we need your financial support. We appreciate any and all donations. If you would like to make a donation to PHW, you may send a check to the address below. If you prefer, you can make a donation using your favorite credit card. Just use the "Donate to PHW" quick link near the top of the newsletter to go to the PHW web site and the "Make a Donation" page. Thank you for your support. | |
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