Ya gotta have heart: More than just a game Friday

RIO RANCHO — The Cleveland and Rio Rancho High School girls’ basketball teams have an important contest coming up tomorrow evening, Feb. 23, at 7 in the RRHS gym (aka the RAC), and there will be a healthy heart promotion taking place at the game as well.

The RRHS girls’ program has partnered with Hole in the Heart to spread awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) and undiagnosed Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) during their game, distributing American Academy of Pediatrics heart screen questions to help detect SCA and/or an undiagnosed CHD among the attendees at the game.

Congenital Heart Defects are the No. 1 birth defect in the world, and Hole in the Heart is advocating for echocardiograms for al

l children and young adults to diagnosis CHDs sooner in life

The questions:

• Have you ever fainted, passed out or had an unexplained seizure suddenly and without warning, especially during exercise?
• Have you had exercise-related chest pain or shortness of breath?
• Has anyone in your immediate family or distant family died of heart problems or had an unexpected sudden death before the age of 50?
• Are you related to anyone with heart related issues or anyone younger than 50 years with a pacemaker or implantable defibrillator?

Handouts with a QR Code/website are available for attendees, taking them directly to a dedicated website page, and a Hole in the Heart rep will be onsite to answer any questions regarding the four heart screen questions.

Four local businesses have stepped up to make this event possible: Caliente Designs, Journey Pediatrics, Thrive Chiropractic & Wellness, and Vaness Braught Counseling, LLC.

Hole in the Heart is a nonprofit promoting awareness of Congenital Heart Defects (CHDs) and other heart-related issues. Sudden Cardiac Arrest has risen among athletes, some due to an undiagnosed CHD. CHDs are the most common birth defect in the world, yet the most neglected. Twice as many children die from a CHD than from all forms of childhood cancer combined. A third of newborns born with a CHD will leave the hospital without being diagnosed – these newborns will suffer with chronic illness, fatal illness or even death.

Hole in the Heart was founded by New Mexico’s Bob and Sandra Fahrlender after their own son was discovered to have a congenital heart defect in his teenage years. After his diagnosis, the Fahrlenders discovered there was limited research on holes in the heart and inadequate heart screenings for congenital heart defects in children and young adults.

For more information, visit HoleInTheHeartASD.org.

Looking ahead

Rio Rancho High School girls’ basketball coach Lori Mabrey thinks this might be her team’s project for years to come.

“We were looking for a community service project, and I talked to (the mother of junior plater Dakota brought), because I knew she’d have some good ideas on it, and so she kinda reached out to them,” Mabrey said. “I kinda liked the idea of us brining awareness to it, because at coaches clinics, my husband (Buster Mabrey, executive director of the New Mexico High School Coaches Association), brought in a couple speakers a couple different years; there was an athlete in Portales that died of sudden cardiac arrest, and speaker from Dallas who was a track coach, whose son … died of sudden cardiac arrest.

“You know it happens: LeBron James’ son, it happened to him,” she said. “So, I think any awareness we can bring to the warning signs are (is beneficial).”

Mabrey said players will be visible with the question cards and announcements will be made during the game.

“I think we’re definitely doing to do this one every year, because I think this one is simple to get the word out. We’re going to wear our pink sox, matching the hole-heart thing, but we’re definitely looking for other community service projects.”