Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)
My name is Holly Morrell. I am thirty-five years old and HCM has haunted my family for four known generations. Out of eleven family members, nine have been affected by this disease. My father received a heart transplant in 1995. Before receiving this transplant, my father saw five family members—his mother, twin brother, baby sister, and two nephews—all die due to HCM.
Our family has learned to live with HCM. My first cousin survived a major cardiac arrest at age fourteen and now takes medication to preserve her life. With the advancement of technology, my cousin received an implantable cardiac defibrillator (also known as an ICD). She went on to have her own family, but her young son was diagnosed with HCM in 1997, and he, too, had an ICD implanted at age thirteen.
In 1999, I learned of A Heart for Sports (AHFS)—a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving young lives from sudden cardiac death through early detection and increased public awareness. Inspired by the mission of AHFS, I retired from my career in equestrian show jumping to devote myself to their cause, and in that same year became AHFS’s Executive Director. AHFS provides free community cardiac screenings, education, interventional information, and supports the public installation of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs).
Ironically, after three years of dedicating myself to community service through AHFS to heighten public awareness of the risks of sudden cardiac death, and my unwavering commitment to sparing other families the avoidable pain of losing a loved one, I, myself, was diagnosed with HCM in April, 2002. On July 9, 2002, I received an implantable cardiac defibrillator.
At your convenience, I would like to invite you to visit the AHFS website, www.aheartforsports.org. Your assistance spreading the message of AHFS and increasing the public's awareness of the risks of sudden cardiac death on any level would be tremendously appreciated.
