Foundation Aims To Save Children With Heart Problems

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A foundation established in memory of a young Lake Bluff man is working to prevent other deaths like his.

In 2005, at the age of just 20, a seemingly healthy Max Schewitz died suddenly of an undiagnosed heart ailment.

Since then, the foundation his family established has been working to provide free EKG screenings for high school kids.

The Max Schewitz Foundation has screened over 43,000 teens and discovered 828 with an abnormality that required further medical evaluation.

Among them, a long distance runner who's since had a cardiac defibrillator implanted and is now back to running and a girl who had open heart surgery last year because of a life-threatening condition that was discovered.

A doctor reads all the EKGs but everything else is done by volunteers and through donations.

The foundation hopes to screen another 16,000 students at 10 schools in the coming school year.

You can find out more at
maxandthewildthings.com/