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Young Hearts from page 35
the center at the University of North
Carolina, Chapel Hill, told msnbc.com .
Healthy Heart Check benefactor Max
Ernst, retired executive vice president
and chief operating officer of Arbor
Drugs, which was sold to CVS in 2000,
feels substantial headway could be made
in curtailing such deaths if more stu-
dent athletes were screened.
"It's a national problem:' Ernst said.
"To see a 16-year-old fall down and die,
whether it's playing baseball or football
or running track, is pathetic. It tears my
heart out. It does not have to happen.
This is something we must strive to
eliminate. There's no reason these kids
have to die. More hospitals around the
country should be involved in programs
like this:'
Other Healthy Heart Check supporters
include the Michigan Fraternal Order of
Eagles, Channel 7 Action News and FM
radio station 97.1, The Ticket. The 10 to
12 participating physicians per session
•
HOSPICE
Serving the Detroit-area Jewish community since 1980
www.hom.org I 888-247-5701
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11:177J:11.
Call 248-283-0835
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ZERNER
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—
The next Healthy Heart Check will take place 3-7 p.m. Friday, April 27, at
Beaumont Medical Center, Sterling Heights (across from Beaumont Hospital,
Troy). For future free community teen athlete screenings, log on to
heart.beaumontedu/student-screening. For an appointment to be tested at
nominal cost on Beaumont's Royal Oak (Ernst Cardiovascular Center) or Troy
campus, call 1-800-633-7377. February is American Heart Month.
of michigan
utohaus
typically are cardiologists and emergency
room doctors who volunteer their time.
Beaumont provides the medical assistant
and technical support. High school stu-
dents and parents also volunteer.
Screenings also are offered by
appointment on Beaumont's Royal Oak
(Ernst Cardiovascular Center) and Troy
campuses. Ernst family support and
Beaumont physician volunteers have
kept the by-appointment cost at $25.
For Dr. Cutler, participating in Healthy
Heart Check is a no-brainer. After
also hearing those news reports about
sudden cardiac deaths involving teen
athletes, she said her first thought was,
"Would we have caught this if the teen-
ager had gone through the screening?"
Others asked her the same question.
"In Judaism:' Cutler said, "we all
should live by tikkun olam
repair of
the world.
"This is how I try to live my life; to
save one life is to save the world:' ❑
Heart Surgeon Encourages
Screening Young Athletes
arc Sakwa, M.D., jumped
lapses," he said. "This is such an easy
aboard when Max and Debra
screening."
Ernst stipulated as part of
His son Connor, now a Brown
their $3 million gift to open the Ernst
University freshman, helped orga-
Cardiovascular Center that at least
nize a 2009 Healthy Heart Check
$200,000 be earmarked
when he was a junior at
to help prevent sudden
Cranbrook in Bloomfield
death among high school
Hills. More than 300
athletes through Healthy
student athletes from
Heart Check.
three high schools
"Every parent who has
came. Then a 17-year-old
a child who wants to be
varsity soccer player,
athletic and participate
Connor recruited student
at a high level should look '...:
volunteers to assist the
into this student-athlete
Beaumont staff.
screening program," said
His sister, Sidney, now
Sakwa, chief of cardiovas-
an 18-year-old ice hock-
cular surgery at the cen-
ey player at Cranbrook,
Dr. Marc Sa kwa
ter. "It's well worth it."
participated in Healthy
"From my perspective, and which
Heart Check in 2010.
Max emphasized," Sakwa said, "if the
Getting doctors to donate their
testing saved one kid, it was worth
skills has never been an obstacle.
every penny he gave Beaumont."
Says Sakwa: "From a Beaumont phy-
The Ernst Cardiovascular Center
sician standpoint, this is something
focuses on treating many heart and
we are all real proud of. It displays
vascular conditions, including atrial
how we feel about this community
fibrillation, heart-valve disease and
and what we want this community to
heart failure. But screening student
think about Beaumont.
athletes remains dear to Max Ernst, a
"We're volunteers at Healthy
lifelong sports participant.
Heart Check and end up investing a
Sakwa had a son and a daughter
lot of effort and time to get the kids
tested through Healthy Heart Check.
to buy into what we are offering as
"I can't imagine what parents go
Beaumont doctors. As a member of
through when a supposedly healthy
the hospital staff, we feel we owe
child goes through sports and col-
this to the community."
M
❑
36
February 23 • 2012