A single story can start a movement. When a 16-year-old student collapsed during football practice in Fountain Valley, Holly Morrell and her father turned grief into action, launching a community screening that saved lives within a month—and building Heartfelt, a nonprofit dedicated to early detection of silent cardiac risks in Orange County.

We explore the difference between heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest in clear, practical terms: one is largely a plumbing issue; the other is electrical and can strike healthy, active people with no warning. Holly explains why minutes to defibrillation are critical and how knowledge gaps keep families from recognizing risk. Then we dig into Heartfelt’s screening model—pairing ECGs to assess electrical activity with echocardiograms to visualize structure—so parents understand what’s checked and why the combination matters. By compressing what might be multiple specialist visits into a single, affordable community event, Heartfelt removes cost and logistics as barriers, especially for families with several kids.

You’ll hear how long-term partnerships with schools and local groups sustain impact year after year, and why tragedies shouldn’t be the only time we pay attention. Holly shares practical signs to watch for—fainting with exertion, chest pain, family history of sudden death—and makes the case that early detection is not a luxury. It’s a life-saving step that belongs in every community playbook, right alongside CPR and AED access.

If you live in Orange County, this is your sign to take action. Explore upcoming dates, register the whole family, and share the link with a coach, principal, or parent group that should host a screening next. Subscribe, leave a review to help more neighbors find this story, and visit heartfeltscreening.org to book your spot today.