The recent sudden cardiac arrest experienced by LeBron James' 18-year-old son, Bronny James, during a basketball practice at USC serves as a painful reminder of the importance of heart screenings among young athletes, a cause that San Diego mother Rhina Paredes-Greeson has been advocating for years according to FOX 5 San Diego. Paredes-Greeson's 15-year-old son, Eric, died of sudden cardiac arrest 14 years ago, a tragedy that inspired her to found the Eric Paredes Save A Life Foundation along with her husband Hector, in order to raise awareness and provide free heart screenings to young people in their community.
Eric, a sophomore at Steele Canyon High School, was an active participant in sports, including football and wrestling. Despite experiencing shortness of breath at times, doctors never performed an EKG on him, and instead diagnosed him with asthma and gave him an inhaler, as reported by FOX 5 San Diego. In similarly heartbreaking cases, many young athletes unknowingly live with undetected heart abnormalities and are at risk of sudden cardiac arrest, which can be lethal if not treated in time.
Since its inception in 2010, the Eric Paredes Save A Life Foundation has provided free heart screenings to 12-25-year-olds, partnering with local cardiologists and volunteers according to ABC 10 News San Diego. The screenings consist of a health questionnaire and EKG, and if the EKG results are abnormal, an echocardiogram is performed. The foundation's efforts have led to the discovery of heart abnormalities in roughly 500 kids so far.
However, the need for greater awareness and advocacy remains. A recent study mentioned by ABC 10 News San Diego found that 1 in 300 children screened were flagged with having a heart issue, but an alarming 50% of warning signs, such as fainting, lightheadedness, and vertigo, go unnoticed or are misdiagnosed as dehydration. Dr. Eric Adler, a cardiologist with UCSD Health, emphasizes the importance of parents being active listeners and strong advocates for their child, rather than dismissing symptoms as trivial concerns.
In addition to preventative screenings, the Eric Paredes Save A Life Foundation works to raise awareness on the importance of knowing CPR and having automated external defibrillators (AEDs) available in areas where people congregate. The foundation has donated nearly 200 AEDs to local schools. As Scripps cardiologist Dr. Poulina Uddin mentioned inFOX 5 San Diego's report, the timing of when CPR is started is a critical factor in recovery, and AEDs are the only tool that can restart a heart.
Eric's legacy, through the tireless efforts of the Eric Paredes Save A Life Foundation, continues to make a difference in the lives of young people in San Diego, while emphasizing the importance of the broader conversation on sudden cardiac arrest prevention in youth. "Just because your child looks healthy, that child may not be heart healthy," warns Rhina Paredes-Greeson, urging parents to be vigilant about their child's well-being and seek out heart screenings as a measure of early detection and prevention. FOX 5 San Diego reported that the foundation's next free heart screening event is scheduled for August 20th at Montgomery School in the South Bay.
