We will begin our 12th year of EKG-based cardiac screenings at Lake Forest Academy on August 22.  The Foundation is scheduled to provide screening at eleven area high schools this year and potentially reach an additional 10,000 students. The program’s mission is to identify students who are at risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) before they are stricken so they can obtain treatment.

My mom told me, motherhood is not for sissies. She meant this humorously, trotting it out when the laundry was sky-high or my kids were getting shots or poor grades but, nothing could ring truer if you’re a mother of a child who has died. Whether your loss occurred pre-term or during childhood or even adulthood, there’s an unwritten rule that kids should not die before their parents. Trust me, that kind of loss leaves a mark.