Closing the Gap: Helping Save Teens From Dead Heart Problem

A teenage athlete dies from a serious heart problem, called sudden cardiac arrest, every 3 to 4 days in the U.S.  It's happened many times in the Houston area!
   
The Head Coach for the University Houston football is part of a new campaign to raise awareness of the problem.  It's called "Close the Gap".  On their first game of the season, the coach will appear in Public Service Announcements, on the big screens.  They'll also have a booth, manned by local cardiologist, Dr. Baxter Montgomery.
   
Dr. Montgomery describes sudden cardiac arrest as sudden.  Death happens within an hour of the heart episode, and cardiac arrest is when the heart stops.  He says patients with this medical problem usually have a thickened heart, because of an "electrical abnormality" in their heart.
   
Doctors say 90-percent of teens affected by cardiac arrest are boys, and more than half of them are African American.
  
 "Close the Gap" is a partnership that has brought together high-profile organizations, like Black Coaches & Administrators (BCA), the Association of Black Cardiologists, Women-Heart, the Athlete's Heartbeat, the National Coalition of Pastors' Spouses, and more.
   
For more information, you can visit:  www.heart-health-disparities.org.
   
Fox 26's Melissa Wilson talked to Dr. Montgomery about his involvement in the campaign.