As athletic trainers we are very familiar with sudden cardiac arrest and the importance that our profession plays in the chain of survival. We know the importance of having quick access to an AED. The SWATA blog would like to introduce the October guest blogger, Ashlyn Wren. In this month’s guest blog Living for Zachary program assistant, Ashlyn Wren, has introduced us to the organization called Living for Zachary. This organization had a booth in the Billy Pickard Expo Hall at the 61st annual SWATA Annual Meeting and Clinical Symposium in Houston this past July.
October brings a month of awareness to many different things; breast cancer, spina bifida, SIDS and one that is very near and dear to our hearts, Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness month. A question that many people often have is “What is sudden cardiac arrest?”
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) claims nearly 350,000 lives each year.1 During sudden cardiac arrest, heart function stops abruptly and without warning. When this happens the heart is no longer able to pump blood to the brain and throughout the body, and the result is death for 95% of the victims.
Living for Zachary was founded in honor of Zachary Schrah, who was only 16 years old when he collapsed during a high school football practice in Plano on April 2, 2009. There was no warning. There were no signs. After Zachary’s death, Living for Zachary, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was established to raise awareness of undiagnosed heart issues in teens.
Our Mission
Living for Zachary is dedicated to raising awareness of SCA in youth and saving lives through community education and awareness events, promoting youth heart screenings, awarding student scholarships and donating automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to youth-based organizations.
Below are links to two stories on youth students who were saved by an AED and a Living for Zachary Heart Screening.
Does your school or youth organization have an AED? Do you know how to apply for an AED through Living for Zachary? To find out more click here.
1. Roger VL, Go AS, Lloyd-Jones DM, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics – 2012 update: A report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2012;125(1):e2-220.
Ashlyn Wren
Program Assistant
Living for Zachary
Program Assistant
Living for Zachary
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