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Cardiac screenings at West Aurora

Philip Buhrke, 17, has an electrocardiogram done Thursday at West Aurora High School. Buhrke who is a runner and in the marching band, had the same test done two years ago. Â“I really think that this is really helpful for the students and the athletes, he said. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com

Posted February 14, 2013 11:51 am

Daily Herald report

West Aurora High School physical education teacher Meghan Hill hopes to reach her goal of screening 2,000 high school students for signs of heart problems. The two-day process started Thursday and continues Friday.

Each student will receive an electrocardiogram screening as part of the Young Hearts for Life program, which conducts tests at about 30 area high schools. The last time West Aurora screened students, doctors found abnormalities in the ECGs for 18 students.

Hill is motivated by a desire to help others and prevent a tragedy. She’s also organizing the tests as a way to honor the memory of her cousin, Kathryn Bender, a Naperville North High School student who died seven years ago from a heart disease called QT syndrome. Bender’s heart stopped just before she was going to dance at Neuqua Valley High School.

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