Is your child really as "healthy" as you think?

Summer is truly upon us and with that comes sports such as baseball, basketball, softball, golf, summer training for football and more. Hundreds and hundreds of high school and college athletes compete and battle in their sports and training every year without ever a problem with their heart because they are "healthy". BUT, what exactly is "healthy" and do you really know?

When a player collapses in the middle of a practice or a competition of some sort people are always so surprised because they had no idea. When tragedy does strike, it is usually because of a undiagnosed cardiac problem. In most cases, no one ever knew.

Sports and competitions put a huge stress on your heart, no doubt.  Players die so many times in so many sports, and so many states, and we just don't hear about it. But, fact of the matter is - it happens more that you know and that is why Living for Zachary is trying to spread the words - Get your child's heart screened!


Sudden Cardiac Arrest is the silent killer, there are not too many warnings  -  especially in athletes ages 13-18.  Kids that are even at a higher risk are children from the ages of 18-25.

We all know how expensive playing a sport can be - parent's pay large amounts of money for their kids to cheer, play hockey, play football, etc. Why in the world are we not paying a small fee to have our kid's heart screened? Fact is - we don't think we need to have our kid's heart screened. You know, the "not my kid, he is healthy as an ox".  No heart problems in the family, has played sports for so many years, no warning signs - we know all the excuses but Karen Schrah would tell you different now. Zachary Schrah never showed any signs or symptoms of heart problems, had regular physicals and had played sports for years  - he was ..... "healthy as an ox" but who would have known that Zachary would collapse on a football field and die.

To learn about the Living for Zachary Heart Screening; please visit the Living for Zachary website. There is no excuse to not have your child or children's heart screened if they are between the age of 12 and 22.

Summer and Dehydration

We take for granted that young athletes are in shape, healthy and can handle the heat, however if you are in a hot climate area, you are mistaken. We know that we all need to be drinking more water but young athletes need to be consuming alot more than what we think.

A person that isn't involved in any exercise or participating in any athletic sport would need to drink 2.5 liters of water per day. Chances are we don't do that.

Athletes need to drink way more, especially exercising and hot weather. Young athletes should be drinking fluids before, during and after exercising. The more you sweat the more fluid your body loses causing dehydration. Human sweat contains our bodies electrolytes (sodium, chloride and potassium). The more you sweat and do not put fluid back in your body to replace the fluid you have lost, the body starts to become imbalanced.

Some Signs and Symptoms of dehydration are:

• Increased heart rate
• Nausea
• Chills
• Dizziness
• Trouble thinking clearly
• Cramps
• Increased body temperature

To avoid dehydration:

• Make sure your athletes are drinking the minimum of 2.5 Liters of water throughout the day
• Drink at least 1 pint of water 2 or 3 hours prior to exercising
• Weigh your athlete before and after practice, this will help determine if the athlete consumed enough water while they were exercising
• Make sure to have water breaks
• No sugar drinks while participating in exercise
• Re-hydrate immediately after exercising to replenish what was lost during your sport.
• Do not rely on sports drinks to hydrate the athlete as it can do more harm than good. Do not let the sports drink be the only supplement.Water is still your best choice.

Do not take dehydration in youth lightly, it is a serious condition that can affect any age child who is losing water (sweat) during outside activities, especially in the summer months when temperatures can rise in the 100's.

Why not go the cheapest and safest way this summer and just drink water, IT'S FREE! Encourage Athletic Coach's to cut practices short and make sure that your school has a AED (automated external defibrillator) at the practice facilities. If your facility doesn't have an AED close by - apply at Living for Zachary and be a part of the AED donation program. Click here for more information.

Group's gift to Frisco RoughRiders meant to save lives

STEVE STOLER

WFAA

Posted on June 12, 2013 at 6:21 PM

Updated Wednesday, Jun 12 at 8:00 PM

FRISCO — Zachary Schrah was only 16-years-old when he collapsed and died of sudden cardiac arrest during a Plano East High School football practice. His mother, Karen Schrah, started Living for Zachary, raising awareness of undiagnosed heart issues in teens.
"Obviously, since I lost Zach to heart disease and we weren't aware, I think it's so important for every family to have their child screened," she said.
Living for Zachary's mission is saving lives. Since it started four years ago, the organization has donated 89 defibrillators to youth-based organizations.
"Our first AED that we donated to St. Mark Catholic Church in Plano was used during Mass two years ago to save a man's life, when he collapsed," Schrah said.
The group’s latest gift of two AEDs went to Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco.
"We added one right by our home plate entrance and one on the other side of the ballpark, because really, time is of the essence when a sudden cardiac arrest does happen," said RoughRiders vice president Scott Burchett.
RoughRider executives hope they never have to use these defibrillators, but as a result of the gift, they're now prepared.
And that could mean the gift of life for someone whose heart suddenly stops.

Republished from WFAA

Why having your heart screened is imperative!

In the United States, the largest cause of natural death is sudden cardiac arrest (SCA); it causes close to 325,000 deaths each year. Often times people group sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) with heart attacks, assuming that they are the same when they are not.

While there are few warning signs of SCA, it often strikes unwarranted and with little discretion for age, gender or genetics. 

In early January, an 11-year-old soccer player complained of a headache during an indoor soccer game when he collapsed, forcing coaches to perform CPR on the boy until emergency health officials arrived. Unfortunately, the young boy did not survive the attack after falling into a coma shortly afterwards.

It seems that more than not, these attacks strike at athletic events. Be prepared for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) by working to make sure that athletic facilities in your area have defibrillators handy and emergency protocols in place in the case that someone falls victim to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

Also having your heart screened will let you know if there is a problem that you might not know of. 

Visit Living for Zachary and find out more information on Heart Screenings for the youth in your life.