Basketball superstar LeBron James’ 18-year-old son Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest last week. Bronny James is a highly recruited basketball player himself and was preparing for his first season at the University of Southern California. NFL player Damar Hamlin returned to practice for the Buffalo Bills last week – eight months after cardiac arrest almost killed him on the field during a game. High school athletes in our area and across the country are beginning practice for fall sports and although most appear healthy, there is more attention being paid to their heart health.

The Peyton Walker Foundation's mission is “to increase awareness and survival rates for Sudden Cardiac Arrest." That includes educating, providing CPR training and AED units throughout the region.

On July 22, a 72-year-old man who suffered cardiac arrest at the Jigger Shop in Mt. Gretna was saved by an AED supplied  by the Foundation.

Julie Walker is the founder of the Peyton Walker Foundation, was with us on The Spark Wednesday, "We're currently aware of four recorded saves. And in fact, today I have in the studio with me an AED or defibrillator that was used in February to save a ten-year-old little girl. And this one is really special to me, just knowing that we saved a child. And now she has the chance to live a full, active, healthy life because of this aid."

Walker described what Sudden Cardiac Arrest is and how it's different than a heart attack, "Sudden cardiac arrest is an unexpected stop or irregular heart rhythm so your heart can either stop beating altogether or it just beats so erratically that it can't pump and circulate blood in your body. So, it's basically like a power failure. Lights out, boom, an immediate collapse. With a heart attack, people are typically conscious, they're having the chest pain and they might be sweaty and nauseous. So they're typically awake."

Sudden cardiac Arrest often occurs when there is a heart condition to begin with so Walker recommends getting kids checked by their family doctor,"I'm advocating that every parent, regardless if the kid is an athlete or non athlete, takes their child to their doctor or a visit to their primary care physician, pediatrician, whoever, and ask for a baseline electrocardiogram, We get calls all the time, how do I get an EKG? What do I need to do? Who do I need to ask? So we we tell them have the conversation with your primary care doctor. Ask for the baseline electrocardiogram just to make sure your kiddos are okay."

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