A nationwide gathering of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) survivors will mark SCA Awareness Month with a Survivor Celebration on Friday, October 9th at 7 p.m. in Chicago. This survivor event, hosted by the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA) at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare, 9300 Bryn Mawr Avenue in Rosemont, is part of three-day program that will make up the organization’s annual meeting.
A sudden cardiac arrest is a sudden, abrupt loss of heart function and can impact individuals at any age and even those individuals who otherwise appear to be healthy. SCA, which kills nearly 300,000 Americans each year – more than lung cancer, breast cancer and HIV/AIDS combined – has a survival rate of less than 8 percent. Of that small percentage who do survive, nearly all do so because they received the immediate response of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the shock (or shocks) of an automated external defibrillator (AED) or an implanted cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) to restore the heart’s natural rhythm.
Survivors from across the country representing at least 20 states will join local survivors for this inspirational event. The group will include three individuals who experienced SCA while boarding flights at Chicago O’Hare Airport, a promising young athlete who experienced SCA a week before high school graduation, a comedic actress who experienced SCA on stage during a live performance, several sports officials who collapsed while refereeing a game, and a breast cancer survivor who experienced SCA and was saved by her dog getting help, among others.
“I am proud to be part of this group of strong survivors coming together during SCA Awareness Month to raise awareness about SCA. Every two minutes, someone dies of SCA in the United States. I was lucky that my doctor determined I was at risk for SCA and took appropriate action,” said Chicago businessman Daniel Silverman, who experienced SCA and received life-saving shocks from his implantable defibrillator while on vacation.
The electrical disruption of SCA is different from a heart attack which is caused by a blocked vessel leading to loss of blood supply to a portion of the heart muscle. It most often occurs with no warning. More than a million Americans identified as at-risk are protected from SCA by a stopwatch-sized implantable defibrillator to deliver a life-saving shock, but the condition remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. because of undiagnosed or untreated heart disease and other conditions.
“We are hosting this event to celebrate those who have survived SCA and raise awareness about SCA during SCA Awareness Month,” said Chris Chiames, Executive Director of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association. “Many people confuse SCA with a heart attack and we want to educate people about SCA risk factors and what to do if someone they are with experiences SCA.”
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