Our son Andy Pena from CT died in 2011 at age 14 from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) caused by myocarditis (infection of the heart) after running on a treadmill. While there are no exact statistics or national registry, it is estimated that SCA claims the lives of between 2,000 to 8,000 children and young adults annually in the U.S. SCA is the #1 cause of death of student athletes.

Bill 229 will make student athletes, parents and coaches familiar with the condition and warning signs of SCA. It will make our state confront the reality that a student could suddenly collapse and die from SCA and do something about it.