2017-18 Heart Smart EKG Schedule Announced

The Max Schewitz Foundation will kick off its 11th year of EKG-based cardiac screenings, starting at Lake Forest Academy on August 23rd. The Foundation is scheduled to provide screening at fifteen area high schools during the 2017-2018 school year. The program’s mission is to identify students who are at risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) before they are stricken so they can obtain treatment.

Mary Beth Schewitz, director of the foundation named after her son, says screening would not be possible without the 4,000 volunteers who helped provide over 63,000 EKGs to high school & college students in Illinois and Wisconsin. “We could not provide screening without an abundance of volunteers from every test school.” Registration is now open for the schools with fall test dates. Parents are urged to register their children attending these schools and to volunteer. Nearly 1,600 students received limited echocardiograms from the Foundation. 1,400 students had abnormal results that required further medical evaluation. Many lives have been saved due to the Foundation’s work.

Schewitz says we find at least one child with a significant, previously undetected heart condition at each school, “Holly is one example. She discovered she had Long QT after her 2015 high school screening and is now being treated and living a normal life. As part of Holly’s family workup, they learned her father shares the same condition. Because Long QT can be genetic, if Holly has children they will also need testing to determine if they need treatment, too.”

In 2005, Max died suddenly and unexpectedly at age 20 from an undiagnosed cardiac condition. Like so many other victims of SCD, Max had no previous medical conditions or warning signs. If he had been diagnosed, life-saving treatments could have been implemented.

EKGs and echocardiograms are interpreted on site by a team of cardiologists under the direction of Dr. Eli Lavie, Medical Director of the Max Schewitz Foundation. The Foundation's hope is that EKG tests will become a part of student’s routine physical exams.

2017-2018 Screens for Teens testing dates:

• Lake Forest Academy - Aug 23, 2017
• Antioch Community HS - Sep 06, 2017
• St. Viator HS - Sep 27, 2017
• Vernon Hills HS - Oct 04, 2017
• New Trier HS (Grade 9 only) - Oct 18, 2017
• SEDOL-October 24, 2017
• Stevenson HS - Mar 07, 2018 to Mar 08, 2018
• Lake Zurich HS - Mar 14, 2018
• Highland Park HS - Apr 13, 2018
• District 214 High Schools (dates TBD)

Based in Libertyville, Ill., The Max Schewitz Foundation’s dual missions reflect Max’s life and death. His parents and family friends started the Foundation in 2005 after 20-year-old Max died suddenly from a cardiac arrhythmia. The Foundation works to prevent sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young people and to promote conservation of fragile reptile species and their ecosystems. To date, over 63,000 students in Illinois and Wisconsin have received EKG testing from the Foundation and 1,600 students were given limited echocardiograms. The Foundation has found more than 1,400 students who required further medical evaluation. To learn more, call Mary Beth Schewitz at (847) 648-2206 or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.