SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Whether you are a high school athlete or just a student on campus, the Eric Paredes Save a Life Foundation has an important message, "Screen your Teen".
"We are excited to say we are now reaching our 43-thousandth teen screened," says foundation President Hector Paredes.
For the past 15 years, the Eric Paredes Save a Life Foundation has provided free heart screenings for those ages 12 to 25, with the goal of preventing sudden cardiac arrest.
"What we have learned now is about 1 in 300 kids are walking around with an undetected heart condition," says Paredes.
Paredes co-founded the foundation in 2010 after losing his son to cardiac arrest in 2009.
"I had found our son collapsed on the kitchen floor, and unfortunately we lost our son that day. We learned that he had an undetected heart condition and died of sudden cardiac arrest. It was a term I had never even heard of."
The foundation's mission is to prevent a tragedy that is a heartbeat away. In 15 years, they have screened over 43 thousand teens of whom 213 were found to be at risk for sudden cardiac arrest.
"The latest study now shows that we are losing about 23 thousand kids in this country every year to sudden cardiac arrest."
This past weekend at West Hills High School, 404 kids were screened with 4 kids being detected for a serious heart abnormality.
"We like to think that his Eric's name is famous as a result, and we are saving lives."
