Free Student Heart Check at Greenhills helps hundreds
This month’s complimentary Beaumont Student Heart Check, held at Greenhills May 13 with the support of the Live Like Max Foundation, successfully screened nearly 250 student athletes for potentially life-threatening heart problems.
Of those students, 17 were told they could continue in their sports but should follow up with their physicians, while one was advised to stop participating in sports until seeing a cardiologist, according to event organizers.
Beaumont Student Heart Check also reached a milestone during the Saturday event, screening its 15,000th student since the program began 10 years ago.
“I am so proud to work with all of you,” said event organizer Jennifer Shea. “Many of you have been doing this from the beginning, and have made a difference to many kids and families.”
One of those 15,000 screened students, she added, is now in medical school at Michigan State and volunteered to run an EKG machine during the event.
Shea also thanked the event’s main sponsor, the Live Like Max Foundation. The foundation was created by the Pardington family in honor of their son Max Pardington, whose sudden cardiac death while training for an Ironman competition helped inspire his younger brother, Greenhills grad Jack Pardington, to spearhead Greenhills’ successful certification last year as a MI HEARTSafe School.
“They work tirelessly to help educate the parents at the screening,” Shea said of Live Like Max, “and their fundraising efforts have helped us buy the new EKG machines that made their debut this weekend. We are looking into upgrading our ECHO machines as well from this year’s Live Like Max fundraising.”
Jersey Mike’s provided lunch for the set-up crew on Friday, volunteers at the screening on Saturday, and gift certificates for students who attended, while Buddy’s pizza provided free pizza certificates for the students.
