2018 Local Hero Champions

Lisa and Kenny’s son, Cory, was lost to SCA in 2013 while attending Georgia Southern University. As Lead

Nurse for the local school district, Lisa understands the critical need for immediate response to a cardiac

emergency, but Georgia Southern had only a handful of AEDs and no organized response plan. Lisa, Kenny and Cory’s sister, Morgan, founded the Cory Joseph Wilson Memorial to raise awareness of

sudden cardiac arrest in youth. The foundation funds AED donations to the Savannah Chatham County police department, camps and schools, including Georgia Southern, which now has 144 devices on campus. In addition to making area schools heart safe, Lisa was part of a Georgia Senate study committee to develop a designated Heart Center system for the state of Georgia. The Wilsons also recorded an SCA awareness video for the American Heart Association.

2017 Allied Health Professional Advocacy Champion

Clint Sperber is the MPA Health Officer & Administrator of Florida Department of Health in St. Lucie County. He has worked with the Jessica Clinton MVP Foundation and supported their heart screenings for the past four years. Clint truly believes in our cause and provides local resources through his connections within the health community. Each year he grants use of the local health department facility, in addition to supplies and volunteers to support heart screening events. This partnership in SCA preven­tion so inspired Clint that he submitted an abstract that he will be presenting to the State Surgeon General, his executive leaders and to the National Association of County City Health Officials. This abstract supports a model of connecting the health department community with local motivated foundations to provide free heart screenings. Clint Sperber is a true champion and for someone who has not suffered the loss that many of us have, to be as committed and dedicated to saving lives, is most admirable.

2017 Adult Advocacy Champion

Melinda has been a long-time board member of Parent Heart Watch, helping to drive the vision to eliminate preventable deaths and disabilities from SCA in youth by 2030. In the past year alone, Melinda has partnered with Karen Acompora on the Anyone Can Save a Life Program (ACSAL) in NY and between 2015 and the present time, more than 1300 students and coaches have been trained. She has partnered with Karen and the Hofstra School of Medicine in the development of a template to teach medical students how to teach Hands Only CPR and the ACSAL Program that they bring into schools.

Melinda is a co-founder of Heart Screen New York, which screened 720 students in the past year and which alone resulted in more than 1,000 people being trained in CPR and AED usage. She was a key advocate in helping New York State pass the CPR in Schools Bill and she has presented the Dominic A. Murray Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act to the New York State legislature. She has conducted several other CPR classes, including churches and schools, far too numerous to count, and she has additionally donated several AEDs. She is truly an inspiration to all who meet and work with her and she honors Parent Heart Watch and its mission each and every day.

2017 Youth Advocacy Champion

N’Jhari, age 14, is an athlete and Eagle Scout who has earned 117 merit badges. He knows firsthand the impact of heart conditions and sudden cardiac arrest and death. Most family members on his mother’s side of the family are living with cardiomyopathy and have ICDs and AICDs. Others have sadly died. His cousin is currently wearing a life vest at 22 years old. Due to his family history N’Jhari is being closely monitored by a pediatric cardiologist. This is the motivation behind an initiative he started to donate lifesaving equipment (AEDs) to schools to help treat athletes and others who experience sudden cardiac arrest on campus. He has worked to train and certify staff members in CPR/AED/First-aid and raised money to purchase the devices. He once refused to play because the team or field was not equipped with an AED. He is now teaming up with Saving Young Hearts to provide heart screenings for youth. He has already sought and secured funding to provide the screenings for free, promote the events and provide food and drinks to volunteers.

He has also engaged pediatric and adult cardiologists, EMS personnel and others in his area to give of their time and expertise at the screenings. N’Jhari shows empathy and compassion for others in all areas of his life, from his school to his church to area hospitals. In February 2016, N’Jhari was 1 of 10 scouts across the country to deliver the Boy Scouts of America 2015 Report to the Nation to congressional and government leaders.

2017 Local Hero Champions

After the loss of their 12-year-old daughter, Andra, in October 2010 to undetected Long QT Syndrome, Jenine and Phillip started Andra Heart Foundation. The Dalrymple family has since found out that Phillip (dad), and Andra’s younger sister, Grace, 16, have Long QT Syndrome. The foundation has provided heart screenings for 3,400 students in Arizona and Washington, and donated 13 AEDs to schools and other organizations. One of the things Jenine learned is that hydration is good for heart health. This past year the foundation donated hydration stations and water bottles to Flowing Wells Junior High, the school that Andra attended. They also launched Andra Heart Speaker Series to raise awareness and foster better prevention and intervention of SCA in children and teens, particularly in young athletes.

2017 Young Survival Champion

Millions of people have seen Claire’s story of survival from a sudden cardiac arrest on October 13, 2015, thanks to a Facebook post the following February by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Project S.A.V.E. The post generated over 35 million views around the world, bringing awareness to SCA.

Upon recovery, Claire wanted to continue the exposure of SCA in youth. She partnered with her electrophysiologist to speak to Emory School of Medicine students about her heart condition, symptoms and misdiag­nosis prior to her SCA, striving to educate new medical professionals about the reality of undetected youth heart conditions and advocate for prevention.

Given the Cardiac Chain of Survival saved Claire’s life, she also spends ample time advocating for secondary prevention. She is partnering with Lord Wedgewood Charity of Birmingham, AL to raise money for AEDs and heart monitoring equipment. She’s worked with EMS Safety Services, Inc. of California for AED/CPR instructor and student training videos to be released later in 2016. Claire also participated in the American Heart Association Executive Breakfast to launch the 2016 Heart Walk campaign to raise money for AEDs to be donated to organizations in need.

2017 Media Advocacy Champions

Alan and Sarah are producers for 60 Minutes Sports. They spent countless hours talking to PHW Board Members, parents, medical professionals, young athletes and others for a comprehensive and balanced story on the importance of prevention titled “A Heart of an Athlete” that aired on Showtime in 2016.

After graduating from NYU School of Journalism, Alan worked at CBS News, with a show called West 57th Street with Meredith Vieira and Steve Kroft. From there he helped start Dateline and then settled in for almost 19 years with 20/20. He joined 60 Minutes Sports in 2013.

Sarah has been with 60 Minutes since 2015, with a long career as a writer and/or editor for outlets such as ESPN.com, Fast Company, Bon Appetit, and many more.

2016 Allied Health Professional Advocacy Champion
Michael has been working in public safety for over 20 years. He is a licensed Connecticut Paramedic and National Emergency Dispatch Instructor. He operates a private public safety consulting firm and currently holds the position of Director of EMS and 911 for the Town of Stratford, Connecticut. In his role as Director of EMS and 911, Michael has worked hard to enhance sudden cardiac arrest response in Stratford through staff and community education, policy and protocol updates, and providing responders and dispatchers with the latest cardiac care technology. Stratford EMS has recently received several awards including HEARTSafe designation, Mission LifeLine Silver EMS and the Connecticut Governors Award honoring an organization that has enhanced understanding and support of the EMS system through their public service, community education and contributions to a city, town, region or the state as a whole.

2016 Adult Advocacy Champions
Scott and Melody Stephens were married in 1983 after they finished their degrees at Texas A&M University. They had 3 children – Clay 28, Katie 25 and Cody – who died of Sudden Cardiac Arrest in May of 2012 and was 18 at the time. Scott is a full-time real estate appraiser and owner of Scott Stephens and Associates, Inc. Melody has just begun her affiliation with ProjectAdam at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. After Cody was lost, Scott and Melody started a foundation to offer free ECG screening to Texas student athletes. Using some of Cody’s last words to his dad, the Cody Stephens Go Big or Go Home Memorial Foundation was formed in 2012. Since that time, the foundation has raised approximately $700,000 and has screened over 50,000 student athletes in collaboration with Who We Play For. Scott and Melody introduced Texas House Bill 767, which would require ECGs to be included with sports physicals twice in an athlete’s career, unless the athlete declines to be tested. It passed the Texas House of Representatives in the Spring of 2015, but failed in the Senate Committee. In keeping with Cody’s motto, Scott and Melody will continue their legislative efforts to “Go Big” in Texas.

2016 Youth Advocacy Champion
Sameer Jafri founded Saving Hearts Foundation in October 2014 at the age of 18. He was inspired by the efforts of the EP Save A Life Foundation while he attended high school in San Diego. The mission of Saving Hearts Foundation is to provide free preventative heart screenings to youth in order to test for underlying heart conditions that may lead to sudden cardiac arrest. In addition, the Foundation strives to teach our youth how to perform CPR and use AEDs and works to place AEDs in schools and community centers that cannot afford to purchase them on their own. In just a year, Saving Hearts has screened nearly 1,000 people domestically and abroad. The Foundation has also worked to raise awareness about sudden cardiac arrest by speaking at various Los Angeles area high schools. In addition, because of a number of generous contributions by local community members, Saving Hearts is in the process of placing 4 AEDs in schools that previously had none. The entire Saving Hearts Foundation team is comprised of college students who are looking to be the future of sudden cardiac arrest prevention for many years to come.

2016 Young Survivor Advocacy Champion
Jack’s story began in the summer of 2012. He went to Haiti with his father, a cardiologist, and sister on a medical mission trip to a remote trip to St. Rock, a remote village in the mountains in the mountains above Port au Prince, Haiti. Jack volunteered in an orphanage and helped out in the clinic, performing ECGs. His father secured an old donated ECG machine and used Jack as the test case. Jack wasn’t told until he returned home that his ECG was abnormal. After an echocardiogram it was discovered that he had a major congenital abnormality that went unidentified, even though he had seen seven pediatricians throughout his life. Jack required life-saving open heart surgery in October of 2012.
Two years later, Jack and his father learned about the Cody Stephens Go Big or Go Home Foundation. They found out about Texas Bill 767 being sponsored by the Stephens’ and travelled to Texas to testify in support of the heart screening bill. Although it didn’t pass the Senate, Jack feels it’s his moral obligation to protect other kids from SCA. He plans to pursue a career in medicine.