The Story of John Gregoire - Survival Date: June 23, 2002

Living for Zachary has had the pleasure and honor to share John Gregoire's story - a story of survival and inspiration. Read below for John's incredible story as told by himself -


On June 23rd, 2002 I experienced Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) while working out with my wife and two boys at our health club. I had no symptoms, no pain or shortness of breath. Even when SCA happened, it was like turning off a light switch. There was no discomfort or chest clutching, just darkness. A heart surgeon, who was also at the club, saw me collapse. He immediately recognized that it was SCA and began CPR but I was not responding. He then asked if the club had a defibrillator. The club had just recently purchased one, and he used it to shock my heart back into rhythm. I had 99.9% blockage of a major artery that stents now keep open and I recovered completely. Please get a heart screening to see if you have any blockage and support the availability of defibrillators. I have a Philips defibrillator at home and at my office.

 Learn more about John’s story by viewing:

Living for Zachary celebrates John's 10 Year Anniversary of
Life on June 23, 2012 by raising Sudden Cardiac Awareness through the
internet via friends & family.

Please help John share his story with others and further our fight against the leading cause of death in the US, Sudden Cardiac Arrest. 

Click here to donate to John's Cardiac Screening & AED Fund



All donations will be used to perform youth cardiac screenings and purchase AEDs for distribution to local schools & youth athletic facilities.

Please mail donations by check to the address below:

Living for Zachary

P.O. Box 867671

Plano, TX 75086-7671

For information on the Living for Zachary AED Donation program contact
Mark Gonzales at 214.336.3525 or email Mark@Living4zachary.org

National Safety Month and SCA

Each month of June, the National Safety Council helps bring safety awareness to organizations to get involved and participate in National Safety Month. National Safety Month is a yearly observance to help people and organizations become educated in safety and different aspects of life. Each and every week during this month the National Safety Council has a theme for the week. The week of Week 4 is driving safety and assists in aiding people with good information on safety and driving

National Safety Month also means taking the steps to make sure that your heart has been screened and that you are not a prime candidate for SCA, Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Stay hydrated if if you are outside and being active. If you or your child is in sports and has outside practices or games, make sure that you are watching and being aware of the heat and your surroundings. Know where the AED is located, know your exact location and become aware.

Normally, the number 1 sign of sudden cardiac arrest is loss of consciousness-fainting. At the same time, no heartbeat (or pulse) can be detected. At times,  people may have a racing heartbeat, dizziness, lightheadedness, chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea (feeling sick to the stomach), or vomiting before sudden cardiac arrest.

Sudden cardiac arrest happens without warning alot of the time. SCA requires immediate emergency treatment and Doctors rarely have a chance to diagnose sudden cardiac arrest with medical tests as its happening. That is why Living for Zachary promotes and supports Heart Screening - make your appointment with the Plano HEART HOSPITAL today and celebrate National Safety Month and have your heart screening done today.

The need for an AED in all places

As HeartRescueNow.com shockingly shows in their video, a friend or stranger could suffer a heart attack or undergo sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) at any time. It's important to be aware of how to handle these situations and act quickly!

Here are three important and MUST steps to take:

Call 911. The first step of action you should take when you see someone collapse is to alert an emergency medical staff. In the case that the person is undergoing cardiac arrest, emergency medical personnel will know how to best treat the victim and present the best chance to save their life!

Start Chest Compressions. Once '911' has been called, it's important to begin chest compressions. These next minutes are crucial and could determine whether someone lives or dies! Begin chest compressions by putting one hand over the other, extending your arms, and pushing on the chest with the bottom of your palm.

Use AED. An AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) is an electronic device often times kept in a small briefcase-sized box. These are normally located in multiple locations around populated locations. An AED emits electronic shock to the victim in order to establish a rhythm for the heart.

Once again, how people respond in these situations can often times be the determining factor as to whether someone survives these often-fatal heart attacks. Act quickly!

To apply for an AED donation complete the following application and return it to Mark Gonzales at mark@living4zachary.org or fax it to 972.478.5858. All applications are reviewed by our Donation Committee and approved based on eligibility. Applicants will be notified by email of decision within 45 days from date of submission.

Eligibility Requirements:

Organization that works directly with youth ages 12-22 years old
Organization that demonstrates a financial need for an AED
Organization that exhibits a lack of AED coverage for the proposed facility


Approved applicants will receive the following equipment:

(1) Automated External Defibrillator
(1) Carrying Case
(1) Long Life Battery
(1) Adult Pads
(1) Infant Child Pads
(1) CPR Ready Kit
(1) AED Alarmed Cabinet with Wall Sign or Waterproof Case


If you have questions about our AED Donation Program, contact Mark Gonzales at 214.336.3525.

Teaming up for Heart Screenings

Zachary Swirczynski's hometown of Muenster, Texas honored him today with free heart screening for community members. Austin College's football player Zachary Swirczynski died from sudden cardiac arrest back in 2009 while playing a pick-up basketball game with friends.

Swircynski family members said a few months after Zach died,they learned of Zachary Schrah from Plano, TX - just a few towns away, who had also recently died from sudden cardiac arrest. Two months after Zach's death, sixteen year-old Zachary Scrah collapsed during his high school football practice, and died of sudden cardiac arrest.

Zachary Schrah's family quickly started "Living for Zachary," an initiative to save young lives from sudden cardiac arrest.

"When they heard about Living For Zachary.. They wanted to bring awareness to the Muenster community," Kim Granger, "Living for Zachary" coordinator and Zach Scrah's aunt, said.

On Tuesday, they did that by inviting medical staff from Baylor Plano Heart Hospital to give teens mobile heart screenings.

"The heart screening includes a blood pressure check... an echo-cardiogram and an electro-cardiogram," Granger said.

Zachary Swircynshi's sister Hillary said her family is grateful that they found someone who knows what they're going through.

"It's amazing. I'm so glad we found 'Living for Zachary' and we're doing this and I think it's only going to get bigger. Everything happens for a reason and we're supposed to be doing this and we're not just supposed to be accepting it. We're supposed to be getting it out there," Hillary said.

For more information on this article visit KXII/Fox Headline News

Celebrate National CPR/AED Awareness Week, June 1-7

June 1st marked the beginning of National CPR/AED Awareness Week. This week, various websites and news media will be covering the basics of learning CPR and using an AED in case of cardiac emergencies.

Heartrescuenow.com presents a shocking video of a stranger collapsing in a mall from SCA (Sudden Cardiac Arrest) in the midst of a crowded shopping mall and asks the question, "What Would You Do?" The video strikes an emotional chord once you see others walking around and staring at the victim, now lying facedown on the mall floor, because they are unaware of what action steps to take or simply because they don't understand the danger of the situation. And, possibly because they are fearful to try to save the man due to their lack of knowledge.



Heartrescuenow.com presents a interactive game that gives the viewer an opportunity for users to make decisions as if they were in a popular location and saw someone collapse. The choices range from "Call 911" in the beginning to "Locate AED" or "Begin CPR" once emergency services have been alerted. This would even be a great way to introduce children to what they should do if someone collapses.



Heartrescuenow.com makes a strong case that many people don't understand how to handle these dangerous, and sometimes fatal, situations. Their efforts to alert and educate their users will surely save lives in the future.

To celebrate National CPR/AED Awareness Week, educate yourself. Locate your local Red Cross or American Heart Association and inquire about learning CPR and how to use a AED. The life you save in that mall could be your own friend or family.