“I hope that one day something good comes of this.”  The cliche that we’ve all muttered at least once in our life.  This is THE phrase that follows every inexplicable tragedy.  It was included in my eulogy to Simon. As I sit here on the seventh anniversary of his death,...

This is a huge step in the right direction.  We can’t have an informed discussion about kids dying until we really know how many died and WHY they died.  I hope that this database will also track how many of these kids died from cardiac events.  Did you know that...

It was the best $60 that Scott and Sarah Lepke ever spent.   In November 2010, the Lepkes opted to pay the extra money for an optional athletic heart screening for their son, Matt. The ultrasound test, through Transmed Inc.’s Screening America program, was offered by the Beresford School District....

One of my favorite songs is Seasons of Love from RENT.  In it, the characters describe all of the ways to measure a year: In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights In cups of coffee In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. In truths that she learned, Or in times...

In basketball, we hear about “threes” all of the time.  A player lines up behind the arc, lets it go, and drains a three pointer.  This past week, “threes” took on a new meaning.  When the big news was supposed to be about the NBA (finally) starting its season, the...

Kudos to the PA Senate (and previously the PA House) for passing the Safety in Youth Sports Act (SB 200).  They join 30 other states that have passed this type of legislation.  The bill is now waiting to be signed by the Governor. Over the last few years, there has been a...

What do you get a seven year old boy for his birthday?  Where do you have the party?  Who do you invite? These are the questions that I expected to be grappling with on a day like today – Simon’s birthday.  For me, and I can only speak for me...

Last night was Bubby’s 65th birthday party.  I flew down to Tampa to surprise her.  You wouldn’t have made the trip.  Mom, Sally and Jaden stayed home.  Aunt Meredith put together a great video.  Of course, you were in it. As we strolled down memory lane, looking at pictures from...

After she was treated for a concussion at a local hospital, an emergency room doctor gave the high school athlete a note saying she could return to her sport after one week. A week later, though, when the school district’s athletic trainer retested her brain to see if it was...

It is not only about protecting the hearts of students.  We also need to protect the hearts of young teachers.  Sudden cardiac arrest isn’t just a grown-up thing. A math teacher at East Central High School died Monday morning after collapsing before classes started, officials said. Melinda Villegas, 23, a...