by: Laura Simon
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Dozens of people ages 12 to 22 got their hearts screened Sunday at the YMCA in Edwardsville.
Gail Holthaus does this in honor of her son, Greg, who went into sudden cardiac arrest at the age of 18 and did not survive.
“He actually had a physical before he went into school, like in mid-August,” she said. “He passed away on October 13th, 2013.”
Greg played baseball and football in high school. His mom says he was a fun person who never met a stranger.
While she doesn’t blame Greg’s friends for going back to sleep by any means, she says if CPR would have been administered, it would have doubled his chances of survival, and if someone would have used an AED, his chances of living would have tripled. Her son’s death has become her mission to save lives.
“My husband and I don’t want anyone to go through what we went through,” Gail said.
Gail and Mark later found out their son had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, basically an enlarged heart. They want other parents to know this is not rare.
“One in 300 kids between ages of 12 and 22 has already has an undetected heart condition,” Mark said.
Their 16-year-old grandson, Hayden, got screened by a cardiovascular sonographer from mCORE. They perform two tests on each person who signs up: an echocardiogram and an EKG. They recommend this age group gets these every two years or after a growth spurt.
“Had a heart screening like this been available for Greg, we would’ve detected it, and he would be here today,” Gail said. “Their cost is $79, which is still very inexpensive, but we pick up $45 of that and charge $34, which was Greg’s number.”
On Monday they will be at the Centene Community Ice Center doing screenings, and that event is already filled. The next one will be in February for heart month.
The Greg Holthaus Memorial Fund is a nonprofit operating under the Highland Area Community Foundation. Funds are raised through monetary donations and their annual Whiffle Ball Tournament, which will be held Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Knights of Columbus Ball Fields in Highland, Illinois, at 11 a.m. You can register by emailing gholthaus34@yahoo.com or by calling 618-301-7455. The deadline to enter is Oct. 6.
