SADS Awareness Month September 2009

Contact Us 508 E. South Temple, # 202 Salt Lake City, Utah 84102 1-800 STOP SAD Raising Awareness Spotlight! In Pennsylvania volunteers accomplished the following awareness activities: *  A school district sent a letter and information sheet to every parent in the district *   The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association adopted SADS screening questions in their pre-participation sports questionnaires *  The Abington Memorial Hospital conducted professional education to staff regarding SADS conditions Living & Thriving Spotlight Danielle Nguyen danced ballet for 4 years before she was diagnosed with LQT. After she was diagnosed,  Danielle worked with her doctor to continue dancing with modifications. She picked up the new interest of Cheerleading and Hip Hop dancing. Her personal experience has influenced what she has chosen to study in college. Danielle is currently majoring in pharmacology with a special interest in how medications affect the heart. Living & Thriving Spotlight James Todd is a firefighter, paramedic, and  marathon runner. He doesn't let a ruptured disc or his LQT & ICD interfere with his goals - he just goes forward with a little medical intervention (James received the first prosthetic spinal disc replacement)! He was invited to run in the  Medtronic Global Heroes Marathon. The foundation he chose to run for was - The SADS Foundation!

Dear Friend, According to SADS board president Dr. Mike Ackerman, over half of the 4000 deaths of young people each year from Long QT Syndrome can be prevented if just the FIRST TWO WARNING signs are taken seriously! Those first two warning signs are a family history of sudden or unexplained death in family members under 40 years of age, and fainting. September is our annual SADS Safe Schools Awareness Month.  Children spend 6 or more hours a day in school. It is imperative that we as parents and advocates, who understand these diseases, take the initiative to ensure that school is a safe place for our children. To do this, we need your help! By utilizing our School Checklist and our materials, you can make your school a SADS Safe School.  Along with this goal we are encouraging parents and volunteers to expand their influence to include after-school sports and activities, their local community and recreation centers and emergency rooms in the area.  This is a great time to get involved.  SADS will be sending regular emails and enews updates to keep you informed during the month of September and to let you know how you can continue to spread awareness about SADS conditions and save a life! These updates will include brief updates of new research, statistics, and advocacy efforts, as well as family stories and examples of awareness activities. Volunteer NOW for SADS Awareness Month 2009! Recommendations for 2009 SADS Safe Schools Awareness Month First make sure your child's school is safe by following the School Checklist To see the School Checklist and other SADS Safe Schools materials, click here. When your child is safe, educate everyone else! Educate all parents at your child's school about SADS warning signs (using articles in the school newsletter, speaking at a PTA meeting etc.) Implement SADS screening questions in sports participation physicals If there are any after school programs at your child's school (i.e. daycare, sports, or activity), ensure that they are safe by implementing the School Checklist Repeat these steps at other schools in your district! Partner with State and regional school nurse organizations and other nonprofit organizations to implement SADS awareness strategies Offer to provide a speaker for state or local meetings, or ask them to include an article in their state or local newsletters (which we can provide both the articles and the speaker Contact your local media and get a story aired or printed which includes the SADS warning signs (we can provide you with ideas and a press release                                                                     Contact your child's Electrophysiologist and ask if they would be interested in helping you raise awareness in your community about SADS warning signs! Your child's doctor can be interviewed in a media story (that you pitch!); agree to speak at a school nurses meeting, or you can think of your own way to educate your community

We have a new SADS Safe School Awareness Month Intern, Adrienne Butterwick. She has a degree in Behavioral Science and Health and she is ready to help you educate your school and community! Please contact her at Adrienne@sads.org or 800-Stop-SAD (800-786-7723) and sign up to participate in SADS Safe Schools Awareness month! Let her know what you will be doing to help your child's school be safe and any other efforts you make to educate others at your child's school or in the community! If you are having problems getting cooperation from your school,  please call Joanne Robinson at 800-786-7723 or Joanne@sads.org Sincerely, Joanne Robinson, M.S.                                                                               Adrienne Butterwick Director of Family Support & Volunteer Development                                 SADS Awareness Intern

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To remove your name from weekly updates for SADS Awareness Month (but not other email from SADS), please notify Adrienne at Adrienne@sads.org