On December 2, 2000, Greg Moyer collapsed in the locker room from SCA after playing 10 minutes of a basketball game. No automated external defibrillator (AED) was available and CPR was not started for 10 minutes because Greg had a pulse. Paramedics arrived 30 minutes later, at which time his heart began to beat miraculously after being shocked by an AED. However, Greg was unable to sustain a heartbeat during the ride to the hospital. His cause of death was also HCM.

On July 14, 2004, Sarah Friend was walking up the stairs at a local water park, collapsed, and never regained consciousness. She was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later. HCM was found to be the cause of her fatal cardiac arrest. Her family was told an AED, had it been used in a timely manner, would have saved her life.

Ken Derminer suffered a sudden cardiac arrest during his high school football practice. His cause of death was found to be an enlarged heart. A defibrillator was never available on school premises during practices or games.

All of these children suffered a sudden cardiac arrest, and according to the Pediatric Clinic of North America, SCA kills thousands of children every year.

Therefore, the parents of the children mentioned above have formed a national, non-profit organization called Parent Heart Watch (www.ParentHeartWatch.org). Parent Heart Watch serves as a unified voice to:

Help other families who have been affected by SCA

Educate communities by building awareness of SCA

Advocate for policy change, establish credible

Research initiatives, and promote SCA prevention through

Technology such as deployment of defibrillators and cardiac screenings.

Collectively, these efforts are significantly reducing the deaths caused by SCA, the leading cause of death in the United States.

For example, high school senior Matt Nader was home just days after a near-death experience that ended his football career. He won't be able to play the game anymore, but Matt looks forward to seizing the opportunity he's been given. Nader's collapse during a Friday night game signaled a critical heart condition. His mother gave him CPR as he laid on the track suffering a lethal arrhythmia. However, an automatic defibrillator saved Nader's life. Doctors implanted a defibrillator into Nader's chest that will monitor his heartbeat for the rest of his life. Nader has to give up playing the game he loves, but he expects football to still play a big role in his future.

The members of Parent Heart Watch have come together through their personal and tragic loss to take action and advocate for awareness and change, all with the goal of protecting children from SCA. Through their outreach efforts, which include media monitoring, a new Web site, and grassroots work in communities, their current membership now includes over 80 parents in the following 40 states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.