A non-profit in Las Vegas is seeking to ensure that every student-athlete in the Las Vegas Valley goes through heart screening prior to participating in sports.
The move comes in the wake of an incident two months ago at Coronado High School, when senior CJ Henly's heart stopped while sitting in class. While Henly survived it was a wakeup call for schools in the area.
"My son was found unresponsive in the restroom at school after PE," Savanna Brister told the local NBC affiliate. "Later found out that he had a sudden cardiac arrest that was completely out of nowhere and passed away a week later."
To help student-athletes detect possible issues, Vegas for Athletes is hoping to screen every student-athlete's heart at no cost.
Last year, the nonprofit was able to screen 500 student-athletes hearts. This year, the nonprofit plans on screening even more hearts.
"I wish I had had it," said Savanna Brister, whose 18-year-old son died during a flag football game at Desert Oasis High School . "Now that this has happened, I would have never thought to have my other two children who are athletes as well to have them checked. It's something that is silent, and you do not know unless you have them checked."
"The reason they are getting it checked is so that they can play sports and still be here. He's living proof that the checks are important," said Danielle Henly, mother of CJ Henly.
On Saturday, Vegas for Athletes will collaborate with the Las Vegas Aces and offer free heart screenings for student-athletes at the team's practice facility.
