APPLE VALLEY, Minn. (FOX 9) – Patrick Schoonover’s death in 2014 was a death the entire hockey state mourned together, after the 14-year-old collapsed on the ice and died of sudden cardiac arrest at a hockey game, the result of two undetected core defects.
“We were shocked and shocked,” Patrick’s father, Mike Schoonover, told FOX 9. “We felt it was our duty to help the network locate a path so that other families wouldn’t have to go through where we passed. “
More than a decade later, Patrick’s call is still alive, and his circle of relatives is now saving lives.
Schoonover explained that “this is our 23rd edition at the Play for Patrick center. We will assign about two hundred children, boys and girls. “
Patrick Schoonover, 14, collapsed on the ice and died of cardiac arrest at a hockey game in 2014, as a result of two undetected core defects. Hello
Every two months, they hold a screening event at the center, in which they check for abnormalities in the frequency, structure, and blood pressure of the center, and even have doctors to review the effects with families afterward.
“We discovered young people with holes in the ventricles,” Schoonover said. “We discovered PFO, which are just tiny holes in the heart. “
They have reached thousands of families, testing another 3,600 people over the more than six years. They have already discovered another 250 people suffering from electrical or structural center defects.
“He smiled at us. He was a gentle giant. He was taking care of others, so we feel like he’s doing the same,” Schoonover said.
Patrick’s father, Mike Schoonover
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Patrick’s friend, Colin Tollefson, credits his efforts to save his life. During an evaluation in 2015, Colin discovered he suffered from Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, an abnormality of the electrical center that can cause an immediate central heartbeat. problem.
“He may have died of sudden cardiac arrest at any time,” Tollefson said. “They stored my life, the lives of my friends, the lives of many other people today. It’s a wonderful organization. “
“It makes me feel like Array makes me feel like Patrick is doing a job of protecting others,” Schoonover said.
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