It's a Matter of the Heart

Taylor's Brother

This framed photo will be part of the Silent Auction

My name is Corinne Ruiz. I am the mom of Olivia Corinne Hoff.

April 22, 2004, my daughter Olivia died from sudden cardiac arrest. Olivia was only 14 years old. My daughter looked healthy, she was very active. Little did I know, she was living with a "silent killer". My daughter had Long QT Syndrome. Her heart condition was never detected until she was in a coma and on life support. After being on life support for 10 days, we knew Olivia no longer was with us. The machine was keeping her heart beating. My husband and I were faced with a decision no parent should have to make. We had to let Olivia go.

Today, I am actively involved in raising sudden cardiac arrest Awareness (SCA) in my community and schools. I have recently founded the Bakersfield Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association Chapter. I am a mom on a mission!  I want to educate parents, teachers and students the importance of CPR and AEDs.

It is estimated that 5,000 to 7,000 of our youth will die from SCA. WHY? Because most people don't know what an AED is. Most people don't know that children can suffer a sudden cardiac arrest. Most people aren't even aware their child has a heart condition.

I want to change these statistics.

When Olivia died, so much was taken away from me. As her mom, I will continue advocating for Awareness and Change in the fight against sudden cardiac arrest.

Please visit the SCAA website http://www.suddencardiacarrest.org.

"Raising Awareness So Others May Survive"