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Tom Duchene, 714 841-0930
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2002
Huntington Beach, CA – Nearly 500 participants turned
out on a bright fall afternoon in beautiful Huntington Beach
Central Park, where the trees were showing their autumn finery.
But as gorgeous as they were, it wasn’t the weather
or the trees that drew the public. It was the opportunity
to honor a friend and raise awareness of potentially fatal
cardiac arrhythmia conditions that are often undiagnosed.
“A Walk to Heal Hearts”, sponsored by Sparkling
Angel Charities-The Kelly Weaver Memorial Fund, was a cardiac
festival of sorts. Young men and women, families, senior citizens
and kids all had the opportunity to receive, free of charge,
a medically-supervised EKG Cardiac Screen test that was than
evaluated by one of ten area doctors, all whom volunteered
their time and expertise for the event. Then, it was on to
the walk, actually a mile-long stroll through the trees and
around waterfowl-abundant Lake Huntington. Along the way,
the walkers were treated to signposts with inspiring quotes,
sponsor thank-yous and more information about cardiac health
issues. Finally, the by-now tested and exercised participants
were treated to a “heart-friendly” lunch of barbequed
chicken sandwiches and fresh vegetables. No cheese burgers
and fries for this crowd!
The event was the brainstorm of the Sparkling Angel Charities
Youth Board, “Kelly’s Friends”, who began
looking for a way last spring to honor their friend, 21 year-old
Kelly Weaver, who passed away in September 2001, from what
is suspected to have been an undiagnosed cardiac arrhythmia
illness. According to Aaron Sullivan, Chairman of the Youth
Board and the event leader, “The frustrating thing about
cardiac arrhythmia disease is that it is so easily diagnosed
with a simple EKG test. But because its symptoms can mimic
many other medical problems, the simple test is often not
given, especially to young people with no history of cardiac
problems. We hope”, according to Sullivan, “to
bring more attention to the problem with this event and others
like it.”
By all measures, it appears that the event was an unqualified
success. Registered Nurse Janet Sicking, medical advisor and
board member of Sparkling Angel Charities estimated that over
350 EKG tests were performed during the afternoon event, resulting
in “a number of medical referrals for possible cardiac
problems”. “We think we might have saved some
lives here today”, stated Sicking, “and I know
we raised cardiac health awareness to a new level in this
community.” The Medical Doctors who volunteered their
time to evaluate the hundreds of EKG tests practice out of
area hospitals, including Huntington Beach Hospital and UCI
Medical Center. “The Doctors were extremely impressed
at the organization and professionalism, not to mention the
volume of the tests we performed today”, according to
Sicking.
Event participants were also treated to an afternoon of entertainment,
including tribute performances of Heart and Jimi Hendrix music
by well-known local band Barracuda. In addition, the Celtic
Gold Irish Dance Academy performed a selection of award-winning
traditional Irish jigs and reels. The twelve to fifteen year-old
girls wore beautiful hand-made authentic dancing dresses and
raised considerably both the cultural and fun quotient of
the day. Even the youngest participants got special attention
at the “Kid’s Zone” area, with face painting
and crafts, along with a fun afternoon in the park!
While the day’s events were sponsored by Sparkling
Angel Charities, they were made possible through the generous
donations of many individuals, corporations and community
groups. Major community sponsor Huntington Beach Hospital
not only loaned equipment, donated supplies and, most importantly,
provided a large staff of volunteers to provide EKG testing,
the hospital also made a significant financial commitment,
without which the event could not have taken place. The Long
Beach Fire Department supplied a massive barbeque (and a squadron
of firefighters to man it!) for lunch, and the Fountain Valley
Fire Department lent the services of Paramedics and Emergency
Medical Personnel to administer EKG testing, along with a
number of nurses and technicians from Huntington Beach Medical
Center. “This is one of the ways we give back to the
communities that support us”, said Captain Joe Cucinotti
of the Fountain Valley Fire Department. “In our work,
we see much pain and suffering. It’s gratifying to me
and my fellow firefighters to be able to help people, in some
small way, to avoid pain and suffering with an early warning
of potential cardiac issues.” The sophisticated (and
very expensive!) electronic ECG devices used in the testing
were also generously supplied by West Anaheim Hospital, North
Anaheim Surgery Center, Orange Coast College and even the
manufacturer Philips Electronics.
Over 100 youth volunteers from schools, churches and organizations
all over Orange County joined in to make the day a success.
In addition, The Pepsi Cola Corporation donated hundreds of
beverages, all of the signage and many of the booth shelters
used for the event. According to Ron Weaver, National Key
Accounts Manager of Pepsi Cola, “We just wanted to help,
and what’s better than helping kids?”
All-in-all, a great afternoon was enjoyed by hundreds and
a very valuable, potentially life-saving service was provided
to the community. “This is the first of what we hope
will be many more community-based events for cardiac health
sponsored by Sparkling Angel Charities”, stated Henry
Weaver, Co-Chairman of the Fountain Valley-based group. “In
the near future, we hope also to provide pre-screening for
athletes in our local high schools in the hopes of avoiding
the on-field tragedies that have occurred in the past. Our
goal,” Weaver went on to say, “is simply to save
lives.”
Sparkling Angel Charities—The Kelly Weaver Memorial
Fund was organized in September 2001 for the purpose of maximizing
the spiritual, educational and practical life skills of young
people by providing information, systems and tools to improve
their quality of life. SAC provides services to the community
through strategic partnerships with existing community-based
organizations. Included in the mission of SAC is promoting
awareness of cardiac arrhythmia illnesses that affect young
people. Sparkling Angel Charities—The Kelly Weaver Memorial
Fund is a non-profit organization with non-profit status pending.
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