CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Soccer Association for Youth USA (SAY Soccer) has teamed up with Simon’s Heart, a nonprofit organization raising awareness about the warning signs and conditions that lead to sudden cardiac arrest and death in student athletes.
“We are always looking for ways to reach student athletes, parents and coaches with information about sudden cardiac arrest,” says Darren Sudman, CEO and Co-founder of Simon’s Heart.
“SAY Soccer is the perfect partner, not only because it serves so many families Nationwide, but also because I played on SAY Soccer teams growing up in Montgomery, OH.”
Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in the U.S., taking the lives of more than 350,000 people each year. It is also the number one killer of student athletes. The only tool that can save someone from cardiac arrest is an automated external defibrillator (AED). When using an AED device, the chance of survival is increased to almost 70 percent. Many youth-related facilities and schools are without this lifesaving tool.
This past week there was a 14-year-old girl who collapsed at soccer practice and was saved by an AED device. Both organizations want to make sure all members and teams are educated about sudden cardiac arrest but most importantly have these lifesaving tools in our leagues.
“SAY soccer is proud to announce our recent partnership with GotAED. Health and safety are top priorities for our SAY programs nationwide. This partnership will help pave a pathway for all of our SAY soccer areas and districts to have AED’s at their youth soccer facilities. It is GotAED’s mission to protect children from sudden cardiac death by making it possible, practical and affordable for youth-related facilities to acquire an AED device. We hope all of our members utilize this service to protect and better serve their soccer communities,” says Erika True, Education Manager of SAY Soccer.
To help youth related facilities, especially in the sports community, Simon’s Heart offers a crowdfunding platform GotAED to place AED devices where kids learn and play. The platform is user friendly and provides a practical and affordable way to acquire an AED device. Youth sports organizations and facilities set up a campaign, share their story, and begin crowdfunding for an AED device, cabinet and pads. Once the goal is reached, an AED is delivered to their door.
GotAED and SAY Soccer will work together to make sure all teams acquire an AED device and have the resources made available to get them.
As part of this partnership agreement, SAY Soccer members will be able to access educational information about sudden cardiac arrest and resources to get AED devices. If your team doesn’t have an AED device, start a campaign today www.gotaed.org. Together we are protecting hearts and saving lives.
Learn more about Simon’s Heart and access information about cardiac arrest at simonsheart.org and gotaed.org.