Breanna Vergara was a young dancer from South Florida who suddenly collapsed on stage while performing. She was only 11-years-old with no previous health conditions at the time of her sudden death. Breanna’s family now remembers her as a light who was always smiling and spreading love in their lives.

Claudia Vergara, the mother of Breanna, never imagined that she would be sharing her daughter’s story to raise awareness on the signs of undetected heart conditions. Claudia said that her daughter had fainted before, but the doctor told her it was just dehydration.

“Right after Breanna’s passing, I wanted to know exactly what Breanna had, why she had it, and [if it] could have been detected,” Vergara said.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is the leading cause of death in young athletes. SCA is a result of undetected heart conditions that most athletes are not aware they have until it’s too late. Some symptoms include dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pains or discomfort during physical activity.

Raymond Gonzalez, a practicing EMT for two years at Broward Health Medical Center, regularly responds to cardiac-related calls.

“I wish [people] knew more about heart health [and] how common heart problems are,” Gonzalez said. “A lot of young individuals, especially in sports, are prone to heart issues. It does not get caught as often, but it is more common than you would think.”

Claudia wished she had known that fainting and dizziness wasn’t common for kids her age. She also would have asked the doctor for an EKG, a non-invasive test that records the electrical activity of the heart, to have detected a problem earlier.

Breanna’s family was told she had a condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, which results in an abnormal heartbeat caused by an extra electrical pathway. Breanna never displayed alarming symptoms to indicate she could have a heart condition and was diagnosed only after her passing.

Dr. Danyal Khan, the associate director of pediatric cardiology at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, mentioned some heart problems could stem from birth.

“People who have been to multiple doctors have been rigorously checked up might still have an underlying cardiac problem that does not get picked up,” Dr. Khan said. “When you’re doing sports, when your adrenaline is revving and your heart is beating fast and your blood pressure is high, at that time your heart can misbehave and have a problem.”

Claudia urges people to be more educated and hands-on about the issue by understanding the importance of being CPR and AED certified. Claudia and her family have since worked closely with local organizations to advocate for broader CPR training and the placement of AEDs in youth sports venues, schools and community centers.

“CPR is arguably most important in the first few minutes because every minute that passes by, the effectiveness of CPR actually goes down by 10%,” Gonzalez said. “The AED is super important for a positive outcome of some of these young patients. It walks you through how to use it, but you have to know how to use it well enough that in an emergency, you can place the pads where they have to go.”

Breanna’s parents founded the Breanna Vergara Foundation to prevent other families from experiencing the same loss. Their foundation funds EKG screenings and raises awareness of undetected heart conditions among young people. Dr. Khan advises children to get an EKG screening during pivotal milestones like elementary school, middle school and high school. These are times in their lives when hidden conditions have a chance of surfacing and a checkup could save a life.

“Out of all the images that we do, on average about 3% of EKGs will come back abnormal, which then prompts you to come and see a cardiologist,” Dr. Khan said.

The foundation has also donated 34 AEDs to youth organizations, schools, dance studios and community venues. They have also conducted more than 160 sessions in South Florida to facilitate hands-on CPR certification and AED training for the community. Each year, the foundation hosts the Breanna Vergara 5K & Color Run in Miami Lakes where all proceeds support heart health programming and extracurricular scholarships

“We just don’t want any parent to feel the way we feel. For the past ten years, every day of our lives,” Vergara said.

Heart health is frequently overlooked by individuals who neglect routine checkups. Stories that begin with personal loss and grief have resulted in lives being saved. Stories that begin with fear end in relief because they are reminded that early detection is possible and changes the course of one’s life.

This story is part of a collaboration between Miami’s Community Newspapers and the Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media at Florida International University.

Every heartbeat counts: The silent threats of undetected cardiac conditions