Teaming up to Prevent Sudden Cardiac Events, a Unique Screening Event Saves Lives

In 2023, Albert Lee IV was at summer camp. He was playing volleyball with his friends when his heart started racing. The odd sensation was over within a couple of seconds, like sporadic subtle out of sync beats. 

Albert texted his mother later that day and told her about the odd feeling. “Albert has always had a yearly physical,” said his mother. “It’s required as a student athlete, and no heart rhythm issues had ever been detected.” 

They both agreed that it must have been due to dehydration or anxiety, but his mother told him to tell her right away if it ever happened again. 

Thankfully, the issue with his heart never happened again, but that isn’t where his story ends. 

Seven months later, his mother saw a newscast promoting a heart screening event at the Seahawks training facility, the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. The event, organized by Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, the Seattle Seahawks and the Nick of Time Foundation, a local non-profit and the facilitator of some of the largest youth heart screening events in the Puget Sound region, was free and open to anyone between the ages of 12-24. His mother thought it would be a great opportunity to have a heart screening and for him to learn CPR, so they signed up to attend.  

The day of the event, Albert said he had a gut feeling the screening event would illuminate a problem with his heart.

“I had a feeling something would come up during the screening,” he said. “It wasn’t like we went in expecting it, but I just had a feeling.”

That feeling turned out to be right.

The Nick of Time Foundation was founded in honor of Nick Varrenti, who suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at the age of 16. According to the Foundation, the leading cause of death in young athletes on the playing field is an undetected heart condition, and its vision is to increase awareness about sudden cardiac arrest and save lives through education, awareness and youth heart screenings. 

At the event last year, more than 500 youth were screened at the VMAC, and 10 abnormal results were found. 

Albert was one of the 10 people who learned of an abnormality that day. 

Dr. Henry Pelto, a primary care sports medicine physician at VMFH, was there that day. He also serves on the Medical Advisory Board with the Nick of Time Foundation. 

After Albert had an electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG), a noninvasive test that measures activity of the heart, he walked over to Dr. Pelto to have his results explained to him and his mother.

Dr. Pelto says when he meets with families and a heart condition is flagged, he likes to take the time to explain exactly what is going on in the heart and reassure kids that a heart condition doesn’t mean they have to stop playing sports–it’s an opportunity to get them back to play safely. 

When Albert sat down with Dr. Pelto, he explained what the EKG revealed in detail. 

“He drew a heart on the back of a paper and showed us what was happening in my heart,” said Albert. “Dr. Pelto was really calm and nice. He took the time to explain what he was seeing.”

Dr. Pelto uses a simple analogy to help families understand the complexities of the heart. 

“An EKG is like taking a picture of a house,” Dr. Pelto explained. “We take a picture of the wires inside the house to make sure it’s running well.”

Albert was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome, a congenital heart defect which causes an extra electrical pathway to travel between the heart’s chambers.

“It’s like a superpower,” Albert joked.

“Like having extra wires in his house,” explained Dr. Pelto. 

After meeting with Dr. Pelto, Albert and his mother met with Darla Varrenti, the executive director of the Nick of Time Foundation. Darla takes the time to meet with families who have abnormal screenings and ensures they have a follow up plan. 

“She told us, ‘We’ve got this. You’re in great hands.’ and we knew we were,” said Albert’s mother. “We felt relieved and supported. We finally had an answer.”

Because of the screening event, Albert was referred to a cardiologist, and he underwent surgery to repair his heart. 

Two weeks after the surgery, he was back to playing the sport he loves: baseball. His team even went on to win the tournament. 

Today, Albert is a senior at Bishop Blanchet High School. He is thriving and hopes to play baseball in college next year.

He hopes his story inspires others to get screened. 

“I think sometimes things are destined,” he said.

This past fall, the Nick of Time Foundation held a screening event at Bishop Blanchet and Albert served as an ambassador, advocating for his classmates to get a heart screening.

“You can only gain from it. There is only a benefit,” he said.

Dr. Pelto hopes Albert’s story will encourage others to participate in the screening event as well. He said students may be apprehensive to get screened because they think a heart condition will disqualify them from playing sports, but Dr. Pelto said that is rarely the case. 

“If there is anything wrong, we can help and get you back to play,” Dr. Pelto said. “We want to know about what’s going on with our bodies so we can live our best lives.”

The second annual youth heart screening event at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center will be held on Saturday, March 8. Anyone ages 12 to 24 can attend the free event. Participants will also receive instruction on "hands-only" CPR and how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED) to assist with CPR. 

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, March 8, 2025
• Location: Virginia Mason Athletic Center – 12 Seahawks Way, Renton, Wash.
• Time: 7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
• An appointment is required. Sign up here.

The screening includes blood pressure, height, weight, health history review, CPR and AED skills, EKGs, and a consultation with a medical professional trained to read EKGS for young people. Some participants may also have heart sounds or limited echocardiogram (ultrasound) of their heart.