Testimonials

“Thank you for doing a screening at Ludlow High School! The testing showed that my son had pre-excitation and needed a cardiac ablation. He’s in his junior year, heading into baseball season and the biggest time of the year for baseball recruitment. He has dreams of playing in college and beyond.

My son had his cardiac ablation at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital last week and is good to go! If he wouldn't have had your testing, we may not have known about his extra electrical pathway. And more importantly, we may have found out through a cardiac episode that may not have gone well. My son now has the peace of mind that his heart is good, and he can continue to swing for the fences!”

Shelly and Jackson Mays | Ludlow, KY

“Our daughter had always been a healthy kid, or at least we thought she was. In February 2024 we took her to the youth heart screening in Highland, IL sponsored by MCORE Foundation and the Greg Holthaus Memorial Fund. The testing process was quick and easy, but her results came back as abnormal. At an appointment at Children's Hospital in St. Louis, MO, we found out that our daughter had a hole in her heart, a condition known as SVD (superior sinus venosus defect) and ASD (atrial septal defect) – a condition she was born with. They also found a vein that needed to be relocated to make her heart work more efficiently, which would need to be addressed with open heart surgery.

Her surgery was performed at Children's Hospital on December 5, 2024. When the surgeon came out to speak with us after the surgery, he said it was a good thing that we caught this, because the right ventricle of her heart was significantly enlarged by working harder to keep up. He believed that it wouldn't have been long before she had serious trouble. I cannot express how important this testing is because it saved our daughter’s life. We will be forever grateful to MCORE Foundation and the Greg Holthaus Memorial Fund for the work they do. Get your kids screened!”

Sara Madson | Highland, IL

“Thank you, MCORE Foundation! Our seemingly-healthy son’s screening at Anderson High School showed he had ventricular pre-excitation – we never would have known this without the screening. We had additional testing done, which led to a cardiac ablation at Children’s Hospital. The ablation was successful, allowing him to resume cross country and track his senior year and to remain heart-healthy today. Thank you for this service! We know it identified a potentially fatal heart risk to our son and we are grateful!”

Debbie Sangermano | Cincinnati, OH

“Your screening detected Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome in our son, Liam, and was confirmed by a pediatric cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic. He underwent a successful cardiac ablation at the Cleveland Clinic and was cleared to go back to sports. We are extremely grateful the school offered The MCORE Foundation service.”

Lisa Powers | Cleveland, OH

“My son, Hunter Stillwagon, had an MCORE cardiac screening at his school and no immediate issues were found. However, due to his family history, the pediatric cardiologist who reviewed his results recommended additional testing and they were devastating: Hunter was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with obstruction, or HOCM — a condition that thickens the heart muscle and can block blood flow. Medication, monitoring, and a revised diet improved his overall health. After many months, additional tests showed no scarring on Hunter's heart, enabling him to resume his passion of wrestling. We are eternally grateful for MCORE Foundation – I highly recommend every child get tested.”

Tonya Watkins | Fairview Park, OH

“With a family history of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, I’m grateful that I was able to have my girls (who are both runners) screened through MCORE Foundation. Luckily, both girls’ reports came back with no issues. The screening was so worth the peace of mind that we can proceed with sports without any dangers.

People need to know that anyone can have this condition. It’s not determined by body type and there are no outward signs of having it. I urge parents to take advantage of this awesome opportunity to make sure your child doesn’t suffer from this condition.”

Coach Annette Meklus | Toldeo, Ohio

“At my yearly physical in December 2021, my doctor asked me if he’d ever said anything about a heart murmur. I told him no. Then he asked if I’d been feeling any different. I said I was often out of breath during normal activities. I attributed it to allergies and possibly allergy-induced asthma, but he wasn’t convinced. He said normal protocol is to monitor a heart murmur for 3-6 months and re-evaluate in six months. But given how frequently I exercise, he wanted to skip the monitoring period and send me for an echocardiogram.

The echo showed I had significant mitral valve regurgitation. The condition made my heart work much harder than it should to push blood out into my body, causing my heart to become enlarged. I was then sent to a cardiologist and a cardiac surgeon. The surgeon basically told me my heart was a ticking time bomb and that I needed surgery immediately. In the days after that appointment, I began planning for the worst, writing a will in case I didn’t make it through surgery. As a 22-year-old, that’s the last thing I thought I’d be doing on a random Saturday.

Although I felt the worst pain of my life when I woke up from surgery, it was a success. And even though I wouldn’t wish this experience on anyone, I’m thankful for what I’ve been through, because it’s what has enabled me to still be here.

My family doctor’s decision to break protocol and send me for that echo saved my life, and I’m so grateful. If you have a child, please get them screened. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

Kyle Rust | Crescent Springs, KY