We Run For The Cause
Devon was 10 years old when he collapsed at school in 2012. A few days later we took him to Children's Mercy for an EKG. Devon was diagnosed with a SADS (sudden arrhythmic death syndrome) condition called Long QT syndrome. His doctor told us he was at high risk of cardiac arrest. She said he was lucky to be alive. Nearly 4,000 young people die each year from conditions like Devon's. It is 3 to 4 times more common than childhood leukemia. But after reading more about it we also realized not very many people knew about it. With help from my closest friends and family we decided to host an awareness fundraiser in honor of our son Devon. In 2013 we had our first annual Devon's Beat 5k. Most SADS conditions are not only detectable with proper screening, but very treatable. My next mission was to find a way to screen kids for such conditions preventing SADS from claiming yet another young life. In October 2014 we had our very first Devon's Beat Heart Screening! We are coming up on our 13th annual 5k and dance and auction. We have raised over $178,000 and screened over 2400 kids.
