“We have given more than 15 consultations. That is several people who will follow up with a pediatric cardiologist,” said Roy Finch, Longview Regional Medical Center chief operating office. “If we just save one life, it is worth it.”
The event was hosted by the medical center and put on by Championship Hearts Foundation, which tours the state holding similar screenings.
The teenagers had their blood pressure, height and weight checked; were given a electrocardiogram (ECG), which checks the heart’s electrical activity; were given an echocardiogram; and, if there were any concerns, consulted with a board-certified pediatric cardiologist and were encouraged to seek additional examinations.
Because the event was underwritten by local sponsors, the array of checks, which Dr. Shannon Blalock said could be expensive otherwise, were free to the teens and their families.
Blalock consulted those students whose ECG or echocardiogram’s showed “suggestions of an abnormality.”
“Congestive heart disease and acquired cardiomyopathy are things that are within my expertise,” Blalock said. “It’s a very rare heart disease which affects a small portion of the population, but when it is your child, the statistics don’t matter.”
The hospital did regular advertising and contacted the athletic directors of area school districts to let their student athletes know of the event.
As their children filtered through the line at the hospital, parents voiced gratitude for the program.
“It is very important. My dad and (my son’s) dad’s dad have both died of heart attacks,” said Michelle Freeman, as her son Quentin Freeman, 13, had his blood pressure checked.
Tenna Waddington, whose son Colin, 16, has been diagnosed with a blood disease, said they hadn’t had the option for a thorough heart exam.
“You have lots of stories of young adults with a condition or sudden death,” Waddington said. “It is such a great idea.”
And in some families, the children were more antsy to be examined than the parents.
“Actually, they are more concerned than I am,” said Kevin McQuaid, as his son Tim, 16, was given a clean bill of health thanks to an echocardiogram.
McQuaid said his daughter, who also went through the screening, knew Jennifer Harris, the local volunteer who contacted the Austin-based nonprofit organization to see if it would be willing to come to Longview.
Harris learned about the organization when a family friend died suddenly due to a heart condition.
Tim agreed that he had wanted to be checked.
“Based on our research, between one and 250 students has a serious heart issue that needs to be addressed, and these screenings are a very high level look at those hearts to determine which students need a further cardiology evaluation,” said Michelle Garcia, the executive director of Championship Hearts Foundation.
For the organization, the endgame is saving lives.
“We do have referrals. About 5 percent to 7 percent of students do get referred to have things checked out. We ere on the side of caution with these tests, but we want to make sure our students are safe on the playing field,” she said.
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