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Central Private basketball player raises heart health awareness after suffering sudden cardiac arrest

4 years 1 month 1 week ago Tuesday, February 18 2020 Feb 18, 2020 February 18, 2020 10:30 PM February 18, 2020 in News
Source: WBRZ

CENTRAL - A Central Private school student- athlete is raising awareness on heart health after nearly losing his life to sudden cardiac arrest. 
After hearing his story, a local foundation is offering heart screenings to students for free. 

"I'm very thankful how God placed everything the right way. He wanted me to be here."

Noah Martin is telling his story in hopes to save thousands of lives across Louisiana. 

He collapsed at halftime during a Central Private school basketball game two weeks ago.

Noah suffered from a seizure and slipped into cardiac arrest.

"It would be cool to help more people in any way to just be a helping hand," says Noah.

Team physician, Dr. Kyle Dean was right by Noah's side during the fight for his life. 

He says had it not been for the on site medical staff and the right resources, Noah would not have survived. 

"I've been a team doctor for 20 years and thankfully have never had to do this and hopefully I'll never have to do again, but just praying that God would help us and that we had the right equipment," says Dean.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is the number one cause of death among student athletes, aside from accidents.

When Louisiana Pediatric Cardiology Foundation (LPCF) got wind of Noah's story, they offered to give health screenings to all high school students at Central Private for free. 

"Now knowing what we know and the defect he had and the thickness of his heart, our screens would have caught it," says Angelle Bourgeois with LPCF. 

The screening takes seconds. 

"We can see holes in the heart and stuff like that through an echo, and an EKG will show a rythym abnormality," says clinician Rebecca Savoie.

Noah won't be battling it out on the court anytime soon, but he is making it his mission to bring awareness to other atletes about this condition. 

"Hopefully all my friends take the screener. I just don't want this to happen to nobody and be in the wrong place at the wrong time," says Noah. 

The LPC Foundation offers heart screenings to students for free through their "Save A Heart Save A Life program" 

According to school staff, about 70 students signed up for heart screenings Tuesday. 

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