Welcome to our website, which will be changing and growing day-by-day to keep you informed about Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) in children and young adults, and its prevention to help save lives.

Saving Young Hearts (SYH) was established in loving memory of our son, Sean Alexander Anderson, who in February 2004, at the age of 10 years old fell victim to sudden cardiac arrest while rollerblading in our neighborhood. Although cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was started immediately, defibrillation was not available until approximately 10 minutes later when paramedics arrived; Sean’s heart never regained rhythm. We lost our precious boy, so abruptly. As we struggled to accept the cruel reality, we asked ourselves so many questions. How could this happen? He was not sick. He never missed a “well checkup”. He showed no warning signs or symptoms that would indicate he had a heart condition.

It took four months for us to learn that Sean’s death was caused by an undetected heart condition. We had to press the Orange-Osceola Medical Examiner’s Office to identify the cause of death, because we would not settle for “cause of death–unknown.” He had idiopathic fibrosis of the cardiac conduction system; this caused him to go into sudden cardiac arrest. It was Dr. Sam Gulino with the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office who determined the cause of Sean’s death. Even though the cause of death did not represent any disease or syndrome which might be hereditary, Dr. Gulino encouraged that we speak with our primary care physicians and allow them to determine if any follow-up for siblings or other family members would be warranted. We were indeed tested and it was then that we learned Andy has Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP).

There is nothing we can do to bring our beloved Sean back, but there is much we can do to educate parents and communities about the imminent possibility of SCA in children and young adults and advocate heart screenings for early detection in school age children.

Dana “Andy” Anderson

Martha Lopez-Anderson

Public Service Announcement “A Heartbeat Away”   Public Service Announcement “Rewind”

Saving Young Hearts is a proud member of the West Orange Chamber of Commerce