After Julieta’s cardiac arrest, we were shocked to learn that sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of natural death in the United States. We felt ashamed for not knowing more, especially since Julieta had lived her entire life with arrhythmias, a predisposing heart condition. This widespread lack of awareness inspired us to create Surviving SCA.
On the other hand, sudden cardiac arrest is “the leading cause of death on school campuses,” yet no drills are performed where students are taught how to act in the case that it does happen.
AEDs are readily available in all public schools in Texas, yet children are not comfortable and confident enough to use them in case of an emergency because they are not taught about the importance of them and its extremely user-friendly operation. This is not only an issue at schools but everywhere. It does not matter how accessible AEDs become, if people do not feel comfortable operating one when someone goes into sudden cardiac arrest, then the number of deaths will never decrease.
Additionally, simple, non-invasive EKG/ECG tests that can detect up to 70% of the heart conditions that predispose a person to a sudden cardiac arrest are not provided in routine check-ups. The best way to increase the survival rate of sudden cardiac arrest is to prevent it from happening in the first place, yet that is not happening.
There is so much work that has to be done in order to raise awareness and thus raise the survival rate of sudden cardiac arrest. With your help, we want to create change through raising awareness, providing CPR training, donating AEDs, and holding heart screenings. Ultimately, we want to live in a world where everyone is confident that in case of an emergency, the people around them are prepared and willing to take action.
