It's a Matter of the Heart
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Corinne Ruiz
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Member Joined Jan 26 2011
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68 years old Bakersfield, CA
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About Me
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" Post a CommentOops!The words you entered did not match the given text. Please try again. 5 Comments
We raised almost $10,000 Corrine, and have offers from many people to help and organize. All of the bands involved have offered to come back next year and we are planning the event learning from mistakes and glitches learned this time. It was a success.
Corrine here is an example of how public awareness works
My name is Julia, I am 22 and live in Kingston. I have spent the past few days trying to find a way to get in touch with someone from Taylor's family. Even though I never knew her, I want you to know that she has touched, and affected others lives. In 2008 I started questioning my doctors shrugging off my medical problems. Being my shallow breathing, difficulty with sports, unable to climb stairs at one point, syncope, pre-syncope, dizziness, etc. After reading about what happened to Taylor that summer, I panicked. I started yelling and fighting with my doctors who all told me it was nothing and in my head. Later that year, and going into January I under went several tests and was admitted in and out the hospital. All of course worth my while. I was diagnosed with Wolfe Parkinson White Disease (AVNRT). A genetic disorder, that I would have been born with, undiagnosed until I was 20. Which has plagued me with symptoms my entire life. After talking about an ablation to fix this, they discovered a secondary condition, which is rare. Called Postural Orthostatic Techacardia Syndrome. I am one of two people currently being treated here in Kingston for this rare condition. They do not know what causes it, how exactly to treat it, and there is no cure. They cannot fix my first condition due to my second. Which I may have developed from years of having the first undiagnosed. Your daughter's story has saved lives, at least I know she has mine. If I had left it to the doctors I do not know where I would be right now. And it makes me fear my daughter, and what she may possibly inherit from me. I want to thank you, for the awareness you are raising. There are people to this day who do not understand the seriousness of these conditions, or the young people and families that they plague. I was not even aware that HDH had a family genetic centre for cardiac conditions like this. And I visit the regular clinic every three months. I hope this reaches you. ~Julia
Courtesy of Parent Heart Watch, this is a very good, short video on how quickly sudden cardiac arrest happens.
http://parentheartwatch.org/Resources/PublicServiceAnnouncements. aspx
What is Long QT Syndrome? Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a heart rhythm disorder that can potentially cause fast, chaotic heartbeats. These rapid heartbeats may trigger a sudden fainting spell or seizure. In some cases, your heart may beat erratically for so long that it can cause sudden death.
To learn more about this "silent killer", click on the attached link. http://www.bing.com/health/article/mayo-126133/Long-QT-syndrome?q =long+qt+syndrome&qpvt=long+qt+syndrome
We are on a common goal Corrine there is safety and solace in numbers...We will make things happen stay in touch
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