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#safebeat4life

Andrew Lorenzen

"My life was saved by a stroke of blind luck, and that's precisely the problem. No child's life should have to rely on luck. EKG screenings save lives and each moment we postpone making them mandatory is a moment we endanger the lives of children."

In the Spring of 2012, an EKG screening saved the life of twelve year old Andrew Lorenzen.

Andrew had always been a healthy, happy child, who enjoyed playing all types of sports. After seeing an advertisement for free EKG screenings at Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Andrew's mother decided to take him in for an evaluation as a precaution, even though he had never experienced any cardiac symptoms whatsoever.

Neither of them believed the results would actually come back showing something was wrong with Andrew. The hospital shockingly discovered a life-threatening, rare condition called Wolff-Parkinson White Syndrome, that if left untreated could have threatened Andrew's life. Instead, a cardiac ablation surgery fully cured his condition.

The experience impressed in him the life saving importance of EKG screenings for children, and he has worked tirelessly in the years since to raise awareness by sharing his story and advocating for mandatory EKG screenings in public schools. In his own words, "My life was saved by a stroke of blind luck, and that's precisely the problem. No child's life should have to rely on luck. EKG screenings save lives and each moment we postpone making them mandatory is a moment we endanger the lives of children."