2009 Newsletter

Volume 4,lssue 1,2009
a,x Slclrerrritz
Forrnd-a,tiorr
wltere survival starts with vou
Dear Friends,
How can four years have passed since we
heard Max's laugh? /f seems like he was here just
yesterday.
Your
support and fond
memories of Max
allow us to be
strong enough to
bring the Screens
for Teens EKG
testing fo schoo/s
to identify other
children at risk
for sudden cardiac death (SCD) and save lives that
might otherwise be lost.
With your support, over 10,000 children
at nine area schools will have been tested by
Christmas; as of Thanksgiving,l26 failed their test,
but what some learned may have saved their life.
What a gift you have given to these families.
Despite this, we were saddened to new
depths at the death of Chris Quon, a young family
friend, as well as Libertyville High School athlete
Simon McCormack. Their deaths battered us in a
way we hadn't felt since losing Max.
We know that not every young adult will
grow into old age, but with your help, we'lltry to find
fhose at risk for sudden cardiac death to give them a
fighting chance.
Thanks again for your continued support.
gifts
Your
are greatly appreciated!
Nfexr Yea.r. Nfexr Nfa,nle.
Sa,rrre Greea,t ER.esrrlcs
Screens forTeens is the new name for our schoolwide student EKG testing program which we have
brought to nine local high schools and more than 10,000
students at no cost to the student.
Not only do we plan to expand Screens forTeens
to additional schools, but we also will return to tested
schools every two years to test all students. That means
in the 2010-201 1 school year we plan to return to Lake
Forest, Libertyville, Lakes, and
Deerfield high schools.
In June, Dr. Eli Lavie of North
Shore Cardiologists became the
Foundation's Medical Director. He
is a take-charge kind of physician.
On a recent Wednesday testing,
Dr. Lavie identified siblings
whose
EKGs indicated Long QT
syndrome. On Thursday he made
arrangements for an expedited
appointment for them with a noted electrophysiologist.
By Friday night the kids had been evaluated and were on
preventive med ication. Wow!
On our website you can download a Sudden Cardiac
Death Risk Assessment and complete it with your child
before his next physical. More than half of our tested
students who completed the assessment reported
symptoms.Those symptoms might be reason enough for
insurance to pay for your child's EKG.
Learn more about testing inside this issue.
.
.
Hugs,
A.(Qs a,borrt SCD
Mary Beth & David
Schewitz
What does SCD stand for?
. Sudden Cardiac Death. Sadly, 30 seemingly healthy
young adults die every week in the United States from
SCD. Oftentimes in this age group, the first warning sign
of cardiac disease is death. as it was for Max,
Vernon Hills
High School
students wait
for their
EKG
test
How does an EKG help prevent deaths?
. While no screening test is perfect, an EKG can detect
abnormalities associated with some causes of SCD. lf
we routinely screened this population, we'd save many of
those lives. With your support, area students will continue
to receive this test at no cost.
2(O(Og, Wr x --n-tt alza,gaxvza"
Sare(errs for Teens
Schools screened this Fall:
.Vernon Hills
.Antioch
The Maxtravaganza is the miracle
of the summer. lt's a big, upscale
.Glenbrook South
.Glenbrook Nodh
reunion-style fundraiser with
complimentary drinks, a sit-down
dinner, live and silent auction and
entertainment.
We sold out all 400 seats at Lake
Forest Sportscars, just as we've
done in the past. With a magic in
the air rivaling the holidays, 125
students served as volunteers and
whisked tables and chairs into
spaces just occupied
by Ferraris and
Maseratis.
They worked in
teams to serve
appetizers, food,
and assist with other
guest services. And
Steiner of Maurice Lacroix watches
before we let them go
home for the night,
these elves neatly stacked all the tables and chairs,
stowed the silverware and table linens, and exchanged
contact information with their new friend from a
Nick & Rick Mancuso lvith Thomas
different school.
la,d- tidi'rgs
any of these items on your list for Santa? They were on ours and he
!
.Volunteer talent
Our core, all-volunteerstaff, our hard.working board of directors,
and literally hundreds of student and parent volunteers were behind
all that we accomplished. Mary Campobasso says volunteering is
like childbirth: painful, but you forget the pain as soon as you see
the result. Amen, Sister.
.Support
More than 400 supporiers attended, the Maxtravaganza and raised
over $130,000.
.Publicity
Whether you've been before or are a new supporter of
the Max Schewitz Foundation, we hope you willjoin us
June 1 9,2010 and find out what all the fuss is about.
NBC 5, WTMX, Fox News, Forest & Bluff Magazine, The Daily Herald, The Pioneer Press papers, Gazebo News and The News Sun
carried our message to a broader audience.
.Videos from high schools!
Libertyville gave firslperson interviews about EKG testing; Lake
Forest High produced the CPR Hero video; and Antioch's video was
a glimpse of a typical test day.
See our new videos on the website.
.EKG supplies
Medline, Covidien, Owens and Minor, and Bella Home Medical
really helped us cut costs.
.Food
Wildfire, Trattoria Pomigliano, South Gate, Daily Grind, Grille on
Laurel, and Francesca's arranged dinner; Sunset, Jennie & Vera's,
Maria's Bakery & Cricket's Confections filled in the rest.
.Booze
Sla,rre the
d.a,te:
r'rune l€),
2(OL(O
2009 Maxtravaganza photos courtesy of Zeng Photography
Thank you Goose lsland, Whole Foods, Parkview Gourmet, Syn
Vodka & Maker's Mark.
.Auction ltems
Wow-too many to list, but who can forget Citation Ail our resort
partners (Marriott, LaSamanna, Ritz Carlton, and Westin), and the
numerous soort tickets.
.Location, location, location
Lake Forest Sportscars hosted the event in their sexy showroomfour years and counting.
See our website for a comDlete
roster-
ask Santa to shoo at donor businesses.
IlIZhen is Pe-gifting
'r'.
As those of you
who knew Max will remember, he
passion
had a rare
for reptiles, and our conservation
mission honors his
work in that area.
The July, conservationfocused fundraiser,
Walk on the Wild Side
at the Wildlife
oka,5r?
In the case of our CPR Hero video and the enclosed
bookmark gift, we hope you will re-gift it. We want
to spread the word that hands-only CPR is in &
mouthto-mouth is out.
Discovery Center
(WDC), focuses on the
wild animals that make
their home theresome of which the foundation purchased.
This summer, crowd pleasers Bob and Dan
Bavirsha brought their amazing alligators and
expertise. Lizards, gekos, snakes, and turtles were
on exhibit in the trained hands of WDC staff, and
Curator Rob Carmichael
and Thomas Andersen thrilled the crowd
when they free-flew
Curly, the red-tailed
hawk.
Join
us July 17,2010 for your chance
for hands-on animal
contact that you can get only at
the Wildlife Discovery Center.
Tortoises basked
in our outdoor
limestone pen
that is part of the
planned garden
to benefit the
WDC
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The bookmark is excerpted from the CPR Hero
video available for free viewing and downloading
from our website. Both show you how to start the
chain of survival-call 911, begin hands-only CPR,
get an AED, & get the victim to a hospital. You could
save a life.
,''
The Foundation's demonstration prairie flower
garden to benefit the Wildlife Discovery Center's
desire for outdoor education space and animal basking space is moving ahead like a herd of turtles, but
we feel slow and steady will win the race.
4 /;tt/. from a /ot is the
,Sarne
Thanks to Dr. Raul Gazmuri and Lori Patis for their
guidance on this project.
Your bookmark is in the envelope. Ask for an extra
one for your office or car.
as a /ot rrom
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continued from front page
Why don't kids get EKGs routinely?
In an ideal world with unlimited resources, all children
would be tested. Most oreventative tests face chal-
lenges in a competitive marketplace. Putting a face
on the issue, providing reliable statistics, educating
consumers, and lowering the cost, eventually makes
testing a priority.
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The bookmark in this newsletter provides instruction on how to
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respond to a witnessed adult cardiac arrest. You might save a life
because of your ability to provide a timely, educated response.
Yes,
you may have more of them.
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Brian Andreas
tngs.com
Join us Online: We are on Facebook, and we tweet on twitter: http://twitter.com/screensforteens
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