60 GoodLifeFamilyMag.com JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2018 GoodLifeFamilyMag.com JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2018 61 If someone told you 20 minutes and $55 could save your child’s life, would it be worth it? A Living for Zachary heart screening at The Heart Hospital in Plano, Denton or McKinney can do just that. They offer a non-invasive pro- cedureincludinganelec- trocardiogram, a limited screening echocardio- gram, blood pressure screening and a sud- den cardiac arrest risk health questionnaire, all reviewed and interpret- ed by a board-certified cardiologist for children ages 12 to 22. A call to 1-800-4BAYLOR can help you set up the ap- pointment. When Karen Schrah lost her son to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) at age 16 during football practice, she decided to live out Zachary’s own words to keep oth- ers from suffering the same tragedy. In an es- say written shortly be- fore his death, he had penned these words, “Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out.” Karen’s mission to help parents iden- tify cardiac risks in their children and to ensure facilities have automated external defibrillators and proper training on their use has helped Zachary’s legacy to live on through the Living for Zachary Foundation. Local mom Lari Wise says, “We’re most grateful to the Liv- ing for Zachary Foundation and especially grateful for Karen spring-boarding off her own personal tragedy to save the lives of so many other chil- dren. Without that heart screening, my daughter Makenzie would most likely have also had a sud- den cardiac arrest.” Prompted by a friend who had had a Living for Zachary screening, Lari took her 15-year-old in during the holiday break to The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano. Makenzie was active on the drill team at school and look- ing forward to trying out for the senior high squad. Three days later, the cardiologist called to tell them Makenzie had Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a condition that causes abnormal electrical connections in the heart affecting heart rate. She was quickly scheduled for a cardiac ablation surgery to repair the condition in time to recover and try out for the drill team (she made it!). She had follow-up surgery six months later to further treat the condi- tion and is now thriving. Lari says, “We thank God for Zachary and his mom Karen every day.” Lari reminds parents not to put off having the screening; she’s certainly glad she didn’t. Think of it this way: you might get 20 minutes to enjoy a cup of coffee while you wait for your child to be screened—and then a good night’s sleep knowing you’ve done something to protect them. Call today. Editor’s Note: For screening information or for event sponsorship information, go to www.livingforzachary.org. By AliciaWanek Life-Saving Heart Screenings and a Foundation with a Heart to Save Lives “Withoutthatheartscreening,mydaughterMakenziewouldmostlikelyhavealsohadasuddencardiacarrest,”saidmomLari Wiseofherthen15-year-olddaughter. Mackenzie’sheartconditionwasidentifiedthroughaLivingforZacharyheartscreening, andshewasquicklyscheduledforacardiacablationsurgeryintimetorealizeherdreamofbeingonthehighschooldrillteam. She’snowa healthyfreshmanatStephenF.Austinstudyingeducation. 5944 W Parker Rd Ste 100 | Plano, TX 75093 | (972) 608-1868 Living For Zachary is co-sponsored by Fairhill School 16150 Preston Road, Dallas, TX 75248 972.233.1026 | Fairhill.org | fairhill@fairhill.org • College Preparatory Program • Multi-Sensory Instruction • Small Student-Teacher Ratio • Fully Accredited School Grades 1 – 12 Fairhill School and Diagnostic Assessment Center Educating Students with Learning Differences for 45 Years Join Us Thursday, February 1, 2018 Lower School Admissions Coffee, 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. Upper School Preview Night, 7 - 9 p.m. SINCE 1971 Hours of Operation Weekdays Noon-9pm Weekends 9am-8pm Dallas Clinic Weekdays 4pm-11pm Weekends 9am-8pm Web Check-In® at MedicalCityUrgentcare.com Services We Provide: Cold & Flu Care • Strep & RSV Testing • X-rays • Stitches Lab Services • IV Fluids • Fracture Care • Sports Physicals Locations: Allen • Dallas • Flower Mound Frisco • McKinney • Plano