Who We Play For: Eliminating preventable sudden cardiac death
- Julie Budkowski
- Mar 6
- 2 min read
On November 30, 2007, 15-year-old Rafe Maccarone laid on the ground to rest after a two mile warm up jog during soccer practice. As the rest of the team stretched and recovered, they realized Rafe was unconscious. Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) was his first symptom of an undetected heart condition, and Rafe died in the hospital the next day.
Peers of Rafe who watched their friend pass away started Who We Play For in 2012 to bring awareness to his story and to fight back against SCA. Many of Rafe’s friends who began the organization are still involved today, and every person on the team believes in the mission wholeheartedly. Some members of the Who We Play For team have lost dear ones to sudden cardiac death; others have family members who have survived it. While everyone who has been affected by life threatening heart conditions has a different story, the team is unified in their mission to move forward and fight for every child who lost their life.
Who We Play For hosting CPR Training at the Cocoa Beach Surfing Santa's 2024 event in Florida.
Approximately 1 in 300 youth have a potentially life threatening heart condition, and SCA is the number one leading cause of death in sports and on college campuses. Electrocardiograms (ECGs) are one of the only ways to detect these defects before they occur. Who We Play For seeks to not only increase the accessibility of heart screenings, but also awareness through social advocacy.
Since its founding, Who We Play For has provided heart screenings for thousands of young people and identified hundreds of life-threatening heart conditions requiring immediate medical intervention. The organization, alongside its partners, has also assisted in passing more than 30 laws, educated millions on SCA through policy, trained millions in CPR, and placed thousands of AEDs around the country.
To learn more about Who We Play For, visit www.whoweplayfor.org.
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