Brian, age 14, was an A student, played the cello in his middle school orchestra, and enjoyed internet computer games. Brian, his sister, and his mom were diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Then 9 months later, when his mom and sister were home, Brian went into the bathroom to take a shower and went into cardiac arrest, before he could even turn the water on. His mom found him approximately 5 minutes later, started CPR, and called 911. But it was too late. His mother and sister now have implanted defibrillators.

Ryan, age 18, was a seemingly healthy college freshman at Virginia Tech, when he died suddenly and without any warning at his home. He had come home from college for the weekend and was getting ready for his sister’s basketball game when his father found him collapsed in the shower. After his death, it was discovered that Ryan had an enlarged heart.

Emily was a young vibrant 7 year old. She always had a smile on her face and a giggle in her voice! On August 2, 2020 while playing on the beach, Emily collapsed. Emily was diagnosed with a anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the right coronary sinus with course between pulmonary trunk and ascending aorta. There were no warning signs.

Marque, age 21, was a senior in college and a member of the military. He was home from college when his mother went to wake him up on May 14, 2014, but Marque would not respond. His mother performed CPR until paramedics arrived, but it was too late. The cause of death was acute myocardial ischemia. Marque had never had any medical issues.

Kevin, age 15, collapsed on his way to class. He had been diagnosed with Cardiomyopathy and received a heart transplant 18 months prior to his fatal cardiac arrest. His death was linked to organ rejection.

Rafe, age 15, collapsed and died in the arms of his teammates during soccer practice at school. The cause of death was undetected hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

John, age 17, collapsed in cardiac arrest after a stick check to his chest during a club lacrosse game on November 30, 2006.  It took 19 minutes to get an AED to the field to restart John’s heart. John suffered irreparable brain damage and was removed from life support three days later and became an organ donor. Following John’s death, a benefit was held by family and friends.  The money raised was used to purchase 21 AEDs; 21 was the number John wore on his lacrosse jersey.

Zac passed away on July 5, 2018 while taking a nap. He was one week shy of his 18th birthday. He was a standout on his basketball team and an honor student. Zac was fiercely competitive and held himself to the highest standards. He loved every aspect of basketball, and he dedicated his free time to perfecting his game. He was extremely healthy and fit. CPR and an AED were used, but Zac did not respond. He had an EKG and an ECHO in 2014 with normal results. Zac died from cardiopulmonary arrest due to cardiomegaly and idiopathic fibrosis of anterior papillary muscle of the heart.

Kevin, age 19, drowned in July 2011. The autopsy determined that he had Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM). Kevin was a hockey and rugby player who never complained or exhibited any symptoms of a heart condition.

Christopher was full of life with a quick wit, musical talent and academic excellence. He enjoyed sports, hiking and skiing. On May 16, 2019, Chris passed away peacefully in his sleep, two weeks before his high school graduation. His autopsy report showed Arrhythmogenic Left Ventricular Cardiomyopathy. He was just 17 years old. Genetic testing revealed his mom also has cardiomyopathy and shares a suspect gene with Chris. Mom now has an ICD and feels her son saved her life.

Madison, age 5, asked to be excused from lunch to use the restroom at school on September 27, 2001. She was found unresponsive in the restroom. She suffered a cardiac arrest from Long QT Syndrome. No one recognized the severity of her condition. The McCarthy family has since been genetically tested for Long QT Syndrome.

Toti, age 20, was an accomplished baseball player, which earned him a full scholarship at Florida International University. He suffered sudden cardiac arrest while catching for another pitcher in his backyard. The cause of death was undetected cardiomyopathy.

A rising high school junior, Aidan, 16, was on the football team and was active in student council, the National Honor Society and several clubs. He was enjoying a night off from milking cows at his family’s farm, fishing with his best friends when he collapsed on July 22, 2019. His friends started CPR, but Aidan succumbed to sudden cardiac arrest. He had just completed summer football camp in the extreme heat with no issues, and had no prior symptoms. The cause of death was a cardiac arrhythmia of unknown etiology.

In December 2017, Devin, 22, was playing basketball with friends when he leaped for a rebound and then collapsed.  CPR was started 4 minutes after his collapse and an AED was not used until 13 minutes later.  The cause of death was aortic stenosis with left ventricular hypertrophy myocardial fibrosis. Devin, a bright young man with an even brighter future, was a senior Broadcast Journalism major looking forward to graduation.

Keith, age 15, collapsed in his driveway after leaving a light game of football. It was his second year of playing football. He also played soccer for several years, basketball and ran track. He passed away 6 days before he was scheduled to see a cardiologist. Keith had no known breathing or heart issues.

Chase, age 16, was at home playing ping pong with family and friends, when he complained of feeling dizzy and decide to go lay down. Approximately ten minutes later he was found unresponsive in the living room. He was taken to the hospital by his family and was unable to be revived.

On December 2, 2000, 15-year-old Greg suffered sudden cardiac arrest in the locker room after a basketball game. No AED was available, and CPR was not started for over 10 minutes. Paramedics arrived 30 minutes later and restarted his heart with an AED, but Greg couldn’t sustain his heartbeat on the way to the hospital. The cause of death was hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Doctors told his parents Greg could have been saved with an AED. That night, his family began their mission to place AEDs in all schools.

Dominic, age 17, died after collapsing on the court at Farmingdale State College during an open gym pick-up game. Only a few weeks before Dominic had had a heart screening and received medical clearance to play sports. The cause of his sudden cardiac arrest was ectopic origin of right coronary artery and myxoid mitral valve.

Paul, age 33, passed away while running a half marathon.  His father had died 17 years earlier at the age of 47 from Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.  Paul had been living undiagnosed with the same disease until the time of his death.

Maggie, age 17, come home from a trip to New York City, said she wasn’t feeling well, went to bed and did not wake up. Paramedics were called and worked on Maggie for three hours, but could not resuscitate her. The cause of death was determined to be chronic myocarditis. Maggie had always been in good health, and played three varsity sports.

Story coming soon

Andrew, age 13, was vacationing with his family when he died in his sleep. He was an avid athlete involved in football, basketball and baseball. The underlying cause of Andrew’s SCA is still unknown.

Michael, 18, was playing soccer and collapsed on the field 15 minutes into the game. A bystander called 911 and started CPR. He was transported to the hospital and all attempts to restart his heart failed.  Previous to this incident, Michael had been taken to the hospital for chest pain, but they dismissed the issue and said he had anxiety.

On the morning of April 8, 2001, Nick was found unconscious in his bed. His parents found him and immediately dialed 911. He was worked on at home and in the hospital, but could not be revived. Cause of the fatal sudden cardiac arrest was found to be Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia (ARVD). Nick’s brothers are now tested regularly.

Shane, age 15, collapsed during basketball practice for his local Parks and Recreation team in January 2011. He had no family history or symptoms of a heart condition. Shane had recently had a physical examination and checked out fine. The cause of death was determined to be an enlarged heart.

Max, age 20, was training for an Iron Man competition at the end of the summer. After a workout one day, he told his mother that his heart was racing. She told him to rest and then spoke to him every hour throughout the day during which he said he felt better. On their last conversation he said that he was in bed watching a movie. Max died in his sleep that night. There was no prior history of heart disease in his family. The cause of death was hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Eric was a seemingly healthy and athletic 15 year old high school freshman with plans to be a police officer. On July 23, 2009, as Eric packed for a family vacation, he collapsed on the kitchen floor. CPR was started within 20 minutes, but it was too late. Eric had already passed. Long QT Syndrome is suspected to be his cause of death.

Corrine, age 19, was a sophomore at the University of Cincinnati, College Conservatory of Music when she passed out upon waking. She was sent to the emergency room where a doctor thought he saw something on her EKG. However, no follow-up tests were done and she was sent home. She passed away in her sleep four weeks later in her dorm room from suspected Long QT Syndrome.

Josh Peck, age 17, suffered cardiac arrest on January 7, 2000, during a pep rally at his school in Dalzell, South Carolina. Josh was an athlete playing all sports. He had been diagnosed with asthma, which his parents found out later he did not have. The underlying cause of Josh’s cardiac arrest was Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Andy, age 14, traveled with his family to watch his younger brother compete at a swim championship in another state. The night before the swim meet, all of the kids went swimming at the hotel. After he swam, Andy, an avid athlete, swimmer and runner jumped on the treadmill. When Andy was done, he laid down to rest and suffered SCA. Andy had been diagnosed with seasonal asthma and allergies, and used an inhaler to treat symptoms. The cause of death chronic Viral Myocarditis.

Daniel, 27, was an avid and accomplished soccer player during his years at the University of Washington.  After graduating, he continued to play soccer 5-7 days a week, sometimes 2 games a night.  Daniel passed away in his sleep after his usual rigorous workout.  The cause of this cardiac arrest was an enlarged heart, also known as athlete’s heart.