Students Get Free EKG Screenings

The screenings are part of a partnership with the Play for Jake Foundation, which brought young hearts for life cardiac screening to the school.

Three years ago, Laporte High School experienced a tragedy when junior linebacker Jake West, "Play for Jake's" namesake, died unexpectedly during practice. Doctors determined he had an unseen heart condition.

Thousands of new prairie students were screened today and the foundation hopes to flag other potential conditions and prevent the loss of any more young lives

"The parents look at their kid and he or she may be participating in sports and he or she is as healthy as can be and this isn't a concern. Yet these are things that don't cause symptoms and often occur in the most physically active adults," said Dr. Joseph Merek.

"It was never on my radar, we didn't have a history of any type of heart conditions, no signs or symptoms from my son, perfectly healthy from the time he was a little boy he was always involved in sports and activities," said Julie Schroder, the mother of Jake West and the founder of Play for Jake.

Click Here to read the origional article on WNDU.