CHELAN — Ryan Rainville, a Chelan High School athlete whose parents, Rob and Jenifer, are teachers (and dad is a coach in three sports), thought back in 2023 that there was no way he had a heart condition. There was a free EKG and heart screening coming up, and he told his dad, “I’m a three-sport athlete! There’s no way there’s anything wrong with my heart!” But Rob Rainville convinced Ryan to get the screening anyway, and that’s when the specialist doctors in attendance, highly skilled in reading heart monitors, noticed something.
Instead of the heart monitor line going up, down, and to the right, they saw it briefly dart to the left. That was a sign, they found, of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a heart condition where an extra electrical pathway exists in the heart, leading to episodes of rapid heartbeat. It’s often present at birth, even though symptoms may not appear until later in life. They caught it in the nick of time, as they say, performed a surgery after getting Ryan fully checked out and scheduled, and he’s doing great today — all because he got that free screening.
The Nick of Time Foundation will host a free youth heart screening event in Chelan on August 15, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Chelan Community Gym, 309 E. Johnson Avenue. The screening is open to all young people ages 12 to 19, regardless of where they attend school.
Named for Nick Varrenti, another high school athlete, the Foundation was created because the 16-year-old Varrenti died at just 16 from something that could have been detected earlier and possibly prevented.
The Foundation’s mission is to prevent Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) in children and young adults through early detection, education, and intervention. SCA often strikes without warning, and while it is one of the leading causes of death among young athletes, it can be detected and treated when properly screened.
At each event, volunteer medical professionals provide comprehensive heart evaluations that include a review of medical history and an electrocardiogram (EKG). Additional assessments—such as a heart sound physical or echocardiogram—may be performed if needed.
In addition to screenings, the Nick of Time Foundation offers hands-on training in CPR and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), equipping students with the knowledge and confidence to act in emergencies.
Through its programs, the Foundation has identified hundreds of heart abnormalities and connected dozens of at-risk students with life-saving care. Their work builds stronger, more informed communities—where every heartbeat counts.
Register for the August 15 screening day at http://bit.ly/NoTFEKGAppt for a free youth EKG heart screening and sports physical. Ryan and his family will be there, and you can see firsthand the kinds of lives Nick of Time is saving.
Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media
