THE CAUSES
FOR PARENTS
SPONSORS
EVENTS
“Most parents would elect to have their children screened as a preventive measure, regardless of cost. If you consider the costs associated with well-baby checks, this would pale in comparison. It is our hope that one day, pediatricians and family practitioners alike will come to value the importance of baseline screening to prevent sudden cardiac death.”
Mother of Bryan Bullock who died suddenly from Long QT
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About Us
Founded in 1999, A Heart for Sports (AHFS) is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit California Public Benefit Corporation dedicated to saving young lives from sudden cardiac death through early detection and increased public awareness. AHFS conducts free community-based cardiac screenings for high school and collegiate student/athletes in an effort to prevent sudden cardiac death and to strengthen collaborative relationships among health professionals who care for cardiac conditions.Our mission is to develop programs endorsed by the leading medical organizations and designed to increase public awareness, encourage research, promote early detection of the risks of sudden cardiac death, and improve the cardiac health of the community.
Originally developed with a primary focus on Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, (HCM), the number one cause of sudden cardiac death in young people in our country, AHFS expanded our program in 2003. AHFS provides both the echocardiogram and the electrocardiogram to screen for the risks of sudden cardiac death in general.
The primary goal of A Heart for Sports is to make cardiac screenings available free of charge to as many young people as possible without creating a misleading perception that cardiac screenings are the only answer.
"Sudden death in young athletes due to heart disease is an important public health problem. Screening large athlete populations for heart disease carries with it the potential for preventing these tragedies. However, the large population athlete screening process is deceptively complex. It is our clear aspiration that A Heart For Sports will become a model for such efforts throughout the country, and in the process will in fact save lives."
-Barry J. Maron, MD