Nicklaus Children’s Hospital held the first ever EKG reunion, an event open to the community which aimed to raise awareness about the importance of having young athletes undergo this simple, yet important test. The event brought together patients who were discovered to have had heart conditions after undergoing an EKG test, potentially saving their lives. Members of the community were also encouraged to attend and have their kids screened for free.
One of the patients who was diagnosed with a heart condition took the stage at the event to share his story. Andrew, a previous Patient of the Month, described his experience when he took a simple EKG screening at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, which revealed he had a rare, fatal heart condition known as Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome. After a successful surgery and recovery, Andrew was back on his feet playing his favorite sports and enjoying life to the fullest. Click here to watch Andrew's story.
Many other supporters of the free EKG screenings were also at the reunion, including the Breanna Vergara Foundation, created by the family of Breanna Vergara, who passed away at the age of 14 from Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) caused by Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome. The foundation’s goal is to create awareness on the importance of pediatric health, and it has worked closely with MCH Foundation and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital to host free EKG screenings at locations across Miami-Dade. In addition, point guard for the Phoenix Suns,
Brandon Knight made a special guest appearance, and also spoke to the crowd of kids and teens on the importance of EKG screenings, particularly for athletes, to detect potentially deadly heart conditions. It was the NBA player’s first time visiting the hospital and the Advanced Pediatric Care Pavilion, where he was given a tour of the state of the art technology.
For more information about free EKG screenings, click here.
About Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Where Children Matter Most (2024)
Founded in 1950 by Variety Clubs International, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is South
Florida’s only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children, with approximately
850 attending physicians, including more than 500 pediatric subspecialists. The 307-bed
hospital is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine with many specialty programs
routinely ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report since 2008. The
hospital is also home to the largest pediatric teaching program in the southeastern
United States and since 2003 has been designated an American Nurses Credentialing
Center (ANCC) Magnet facility, the nursing profession’s most prestigious institutional
honor. For more information, please visit www.nicklauschildrens.org.