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.

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.

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.

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.

Greg, age 15, played 10 minutes in a basketball game on December 2, 2000, when he walked into the locker room and went into sudden cardiac arrest. No AED was available, and CPR was not started for more than 10 minutes. Paramedics did not arrive for 30 minutes, at which time his heart began to beat after being shocked with an AED. He was unable to sustain his heartbeat on the ride to hospital. Cause of death was Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. The ER doctor told his parents that Greg could probably have been saved with an AED. His family’s mission to place AEDs in all schools began the night of this death.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A high school varsity team wrestler in 2009, Kieran was involved in a mysterious auto accident on Christmas Day that left his left leg crushed. No cause was found for the accident. He was transported by Care Flight and spent weeks in the ICU with no revelation about a heart condition, though Kieran’s mother insisted something was wrong. Kieran worked hard to walk again by Senior Night, which he did to a standing ovation. He graduated and went on with his life until September 3, 2015, when he passed away from sudden cardiac arrest due to Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. He was only 23 years old. Until the day he died, his heart condition remained undiagnosed.

Mikey, age 11, collapsed at the finish line of a charity run in December 2013. A nurse who was watching the race performed CPR while 911 was called. CPR was performed for nearly three hours. Mikey was airlifted to the hospital, where he was placed on life support. He was declared brain dead the following morning. The cause of Mikey’s death was right coronary artery anomaly. An electrocardiogram 2 years prior did not detect this, although Mikey was having symptoms.