Archive - Jul 2, 2009

Michael Larsen, Seattle, WA – 45 at time of event (2005)

Michael is a pianist. He was once a large pianist — now he’s more careful, and slimmer! In 1999 he suffered a severe heart attack and needed a quadruple bypass. Unfortunately, his heart muscle was damaged and his EF remains very low. At that time ICDs were not implanted as a safety measure like they are now for LVEF <%35. So that brings us to his story.

Working in Seattle on a stage production, Michael had just finished a tiring day and was walking down Pike Place past the market that is a Seattle institution. He was on the cell phone checking in with his producer, apparently telling her that he felt fine, “never felt better before” were his words. Not that Michael can remember the conversation...

Pittsburgh, PA – On the eve of celebrated pitchman Billy Mays’ funeral, the SCA Foundation extends its condolences to his family, friends and fans, and calls upon everyone to do their part in increasing survival from cardiac anomalies. His apparent death from cardiac arrest, brought on by a heart attack at home, is a painful reminder that approximately 80 percent of all cardiac arrest events occur in the home.

 More about Billy Mays.

“Those of us who got to know Billy Mays through the television screen saw him as larger than life,” said Bobby Khan, MD, Chairman of the SCA Foundation Board of Directors, Fulbright Scholar, Associate Professor at Emory University and Director of the Coronary Care Unit and Cardiovascular Research at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.

As part of our media campaign to raise awareness and save lives, we take every opportunity to explain, explore and educate readers and listeners on the deadly and yet preventable consequences of Sudden Cardiac Arrest.

Below is an extract of the Rick Barber show on KOA Radio, Denver CO.

"During the past week we have seen two celebrities who apparently succumbed to Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). First pop mega-star Michael Jackson then ubiquitous TV pitchman Billy Mays. While this may be the first time we've seen it in the news, SCA is very real and very deadly. Can it be detected or even prevented? Rick spoke with Mary Newman, President of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation about all of the above."

See here for details