Fremd students receive free HCM cardiac screening

Posted January 04, 2017 10:00 pm

Submitted by District 211

Students at Fremd High School participated in an event that could potentially save a life.

Fremd High School offered free cardiac screenings for more than 1,680 students on Dec. 8. The screen was for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, a genetic heart condition that causes an excessive thickening of the heart and is the leading cause of sudden cardiac arrest in young people.

"The test was very short, easy, and painless," said Ian Wojciak, a Fremd High School senior and baseball player that participated in the screen.

With funds raised by the Joshua Jared Hardy Charities' event Hoofin' 4 Hardy, the organization Young Hearts for Life conducted the electrocardiogram screens, which took place during school and were only for students whose parents authorized them to be tested. The screening is recommended every two years.

Both Conant and Palatine high schools will conduct screenings in spring 2017. For information about the upcoming cardiac screens, contact your student's high school.

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Fremd High School Physical Education teacher Andrew Kittrell, top left, Fremd High School Athletic Director David Dick, top right, and Fremd High School Physical Education teacher Niki Baldassano, bottom right, pose with Ruth Jensen, founder of the Joshua Jared Hardy Charities, bottom left, and Dr. Joe Marek, center, who oversees the HCM screening event. Courtesy of District 211

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