On October 7th, 2023, Bella’s mom took her to a free heart screening hosted by The Peyton Walker Foundation at Steelton Highspire High School. Bella, a multi-sport athlete at Lower Dauphin High School, wasn’t experiencing any symptoms, but the opportunity to check her heart with no insurance costs was too good to pass up. Thanks to that screening, Bella was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome, one of the leading causes of sudden cardiac arrest. After several doctors appointments and tests, Bella underwent successful surgery just one day after her 16th birthday!
Saturday, December 14, was our free heart screening at Lower Dauphin High School. We screened over 160 young hearts! We offer up a huge THANK YOU to the medical assistants, nurses, PAs, NPs and cardiologists from UPMC Heart & Vascular who provided EKGs, Echocardiograms and consultations when follow-up treatment was deemed necessary. Three heart issues were identified, one of which could lead to cardiac arrest.
We also trained 350 people in CPR and AED use, empowering our community to act during cardiac emergencies. A special thank you to Bella for inspiring and supporting this incredible event. Thank you to everyone who donated their time and talents to make the screening possible, especially all our volunteers, UPMC Heart & Vascular and Bristol Myers Squibb.
