10 • SUNDAY, MAY 9, 2021 • CAREGIVER
Take it to heart Players on Pennsylvania’s Big 33 football team received heart screenings in April thanks in part to the Peyton Walker Foundation.
COURTESY OF PEYTON WALKER FOUNDATION
by KAREN PRICE Peyton Walker Foundation stresses the importance of
Ever since losing her daughter to sudden
cardiac arrest at the age of 19,
Julie Walker has made it her mission
to stop the same thing from happening
to other families.
The Peyton Walker Foundation has
helped provide free heart screenings
for students surrounding her hometown
of Harrisburg, partnered with
health organizations across the state,
including UPMC, to raise awareness
of the issue. She even helped pass state
heart screenings in young athletes who have had covid-19
legislation aimed at preventing sudden
cardiac death in young people.
Now she’s helping to get the word
out that for young athletes who have
contracted covid-19 in the past year,
the need for a heart screening might
be even greater.
“We recommend talking to your kids
about the signs and symptoms that
could signify an underlying heart issue,”
Walker said. “Shortness of breath
is a big one, chest pain or pressure,
palpitations, racing heartbeat, passing
out. Have the conversation with your
kids and ask them if they’re feeling
anything like this, and you’ll definitely
want to hear from your primary care
doctor and have an evaluation based
on these symptoms.”
To be certain, Walker believes that
heart screenings should be the standard
of care for all children. An electrocardiogram,
or EKG, can detect the
electrical disturbances in the heart