Many Expected at the Living for Zachary HeartBeats Education Forum and Fundraising Gala

February is American Heart Month, a month to focus on a disease that kills more than 600,000 Americans each year. Every 39 seconds someone in the United States dies from heart disease,* while sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) claims one life every two minutes, taking more lives each year than breast cancer, lung cancer or AIDS.** Ten thousand young people die from SCA each year.* Since June 2009, the Living for Zachary Organization, with support from The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano and D Magazine, has been raising awareness of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), which is the silent killer that caused 16-year-old Zachary Schrah to collapse during a high school football practice in Plano on April 2, 2009. On February 7th from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Living for Zachary is teaming up with local businesses and health care organizations to help educate the community on sudden cardiac arrest and offer FREE Living for Zachary heart screenings for youth ages 12 to 22 that includes an echocardiogram, electrocardiogram and blood pressure test, and other heart-related health screenings and information. This FREE Education Forum will be held at The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano at 1100 Allied Drive in Plano, TX. The FREE Living for Zachary Education Forum will include the following: • Free Living for Zachary heart screenings (youth ages 12-22) • Free health tests to determine your personal health number • Free fingerprinting (youth ages 5-12) by the Plano Police Department • AED/CPR Demonstrations by Save A Life • Heart-healthy cooking demonstrations • Interactive Kid Zone • Free medical advice from the organization’s board of nationally-recognized physicians • Forum booths hosted by the world’s top medical manufacturers and wellness companies • Special guest speaker to discuss sudden cardiac arrest in youth athletes Living for Zachary will also be recognizing recipients of the Living for Zachary Academic Scholarship for the 2012-2013 school year during the Education Forum. Living for Zachary is presenting their 4th Annual HeartBeats Gala at 6 p.m. on February 8th at the Hilton Anatole Dallas, Chantilly Ballroom. As guests arrive at the black-tie event, they will take part in a live auction and silent auction. Fine dining and dancing to the music of Limelight will be included in the evening’s entertainment. Funds raised at the gala will be used to further Living for Zachary’s mission to promote youth heart screenings, donate AEDs for local schools and youth recreational facilities, provide scholarships for local high school seniors and spread awareness of SCA through community outreach and education. “We are committed to raising awareness of sudden cardiac arrest in youth by providing community education and AEDs to youth organizations,” says Karen Schrah, Zachary Schrah’s mom and founder of the Living for Zachary organization. “Putting on events like the HeartBeats Education Forum and HeartBeats Gala helps us stay true to our commitment and ideally help save lives.” For more information or to register for the HeartBeats Education Forum or HeartBeats Gala, visit heartbeatsgala.org. About Living for Zachary Living for Zachary is a non-profit organization [(501 (c) (3) 80-0410066] dedicated to raising awareness of sudden cardiac arrest and saving lives through community education and awareness events, promoting youth heart screenings, awarding student scholarships and donating automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to organizations in need. The organization was founded in honor of Zachary Schrah, who was only 16 years old when he collapsed during a high school football practice in Plano on April 2, 2009. For more information, visit www.living4zachary.org. *Source: American Heart Association ** Source: Heart Rhythm Society