The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation is dedicated to bringing you the latest news and developments in sudden cardiac arrest prevention and treatment.
Calling All Heroes - SCA Foundation Announces Call for Nominations for "People Saving People" Awards
March 26, 2008–PITTSBURGH–The SCA Foundation has established an annual award program to honor "ordinary" people with extraordinary heroic spirits who help save the lives of victims of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). The People Saving People awards will recognize members of the public whose lifesaving actions have made the difference between life… Read More
They Froze Me
Lisa Byers with her son BraxtonIt was June 6, 2005 and hairdresser Lisa Byers, 41, was giving a skin care presentation to women at an insurance agency in Temple, Texas. “Suddenly I sneezed and I just did not feel well. I excused myself, flipped out of my chair and just fell over,” she said. There was an automated external defibrillator (AED) on… Read More
New York Legislature on a Mission to Save Lives
March 25, 2008–SCA Foundation–If legislative activity in the New York State Assembly related to the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) is any indication, there is growing awareness here that victims of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) deserve ready access to this lifesaving treatment. At least 15 laws and one administrative code… Read More
Save at the Heart Walk
Paul Hamel, 68, was simply trying to support the American Heart Association’s 2001 “Heart Walk” fundraiser in Texas. He had no idea what was about to unfold. Since he had taken a stress test and had been cleared by his physician two weeks before, he figured it would be okay to run—rather than walk—to the finish line. And so he did. “… Read More
SCA Survivors: A Growing Tribe
Young SCA Survivors From left, Brett Taylor of Texas, Paula Opheim of Indiana, Catherine Silva of California, and James McCooey of New York In the time it takes you to read this section, several Americans will die from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Most likely, dropping dead will be the first indication of a serious heart condition. Friends and… Read More
A Heart Too Good to Die
Carolyn Whitehead –Norwich, CT – 47 at the time of the event (October, 2002) The nation’s #1 serial killer strikes every few minutes, and whilst not gruesome, the result is frightening carnage. Carolyn Whitehead was the lucky one in 20 who did not die. There was nothing wrong with Carolyn’s heart, then or now, however she… Read More
Shock Number Five Kept Him Alive
Dick Bylund – St. Louis, MO – 50 at the time of the event (1993) Sometimes it’s better to break the rules. If a young paramedic in Freemont, CA, had followed procedures to the letter, Dick Bylund wouldn’t be alive today. Dick was attending his son’s football game at Mission High School in Freemont when he collapsed, a victim of sudden cardiac… Read More
What About “Going Toward the Light”?
A.J. Caliendo – Pittsburgh, PA – 49 at the time of the event (June 2, 1999) A.J. Caliendo’s two biggest complaints about his sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) episode are that he put in a lot of hard hours rehearsing his first ever community theater play only to be sidelined after one performance, and that he feels he was cheated out of that long… Read More
Police Officer Saves Funeral Worker
Paul Beauregard – Plainstown, NH – 69 at the time of the event (May 2004) The story of Paul Beauregard’s sudden cardiac arrest could almost qualify as a macabre Halloween tale. Paul was working part time for a Plainstown, NH funeral director. He was out on a job and had just finished placing the body in a hearse when he walked back to the curb… Read More