ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Who We Play For, a Florida nonprofit, announced they will be teaming up with Hillsborough County Fire Rescue to offer free heart screenings for people ages 10-22.
In an email, the group said its mission is " to eliminate preventable sudden cardiac death in young people." The nonprofit said they are the number one cause of death for student-athletes and kill more than 200,000 Americans every year.
The free screenings are scheduled for Sunday, June 9 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Equestrian Center at the Florida State Fairgrounds, officials said in an email. The group will bring trained staff and equipment to perform electrocardiograms.
According to Who We Play For's website, the Melbourne-based nonprofit was established in honor of Rafe Maccarone, a high school soccer player who died from sudden cardiac arrest during a practice in November 2007.
"Who We Play For was born from our loss and what we learned following Rafe’s death," organizers said on the nonprofit's website. "We never want another family, team, school, or community to experience what we did that day."
Officials said each exam takes about five minutes with results turned in about 10 days, adding that screenings like these can spot conditions not detected in most physical exams.
For more information on Sunday's heart screenings, click here.