Chester County mom on mission to raise awareness about sudden cardiac arrest in honor of late son
CHESTER COUNTY, Pa. (CBS) -- Sudden cardiac arrest has made national headlines once again after Lebron James' son, Bronny, was hospitalized following an incident earlier this week during basketball practice. The news hit home for a Chester County mom after her son died from the same kind of health episode while they were heading to a family BBQ.
Now, that family is turning pain into purpose.
"The day Aidan passed away, it was a beautiful day," said Christy Marshall-Silva, co-founder and president of Aidan's Heart Foundation.
It was Labor Day weekend in 2010 and the Silva-Marshall family was heading to a BBQ. But what happened next changed their lives forever.
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"I turned around from helping his younger brother get ready for this BBQ and saw him collapsed in the hallway in our home. I didn't know what to think," Marshall-Silva recalled.
Aidan was just 7 years old at the time and was perfectly healthy, his mom said.
However, her world changed in an instant when her oldest son died from sudden cardiac arrest.
"I had no reason to believe anything was wrong with his heart. We don't have any family history," Marshall-Silva said.
Through the tragedy, Aidan's Heart Foundation was born. The nonprofit is focused on creating "heart-safe communities" across the Delaware Valley.
With the news of Bronny James, as well as Bills player Damar Hamlin -- who both suffered sudden cardiac arrest -- the Downington mom of four's mission is amplified.
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"My mindset is thank God there were people that knew what to do," Marshall-Silva said "They did it and AEDs were present where they were."
Part of the mission of Aidan's Heart Foundation is education. Starting in September, the organization will hold monthly CPR training for the community at the United Way of Chester County.
"We want to see CPR education at every school," Marshall-Silva said.
Education, awareness and support are the pillars of Aidan's Heart Foundation.
Since it started almost 13 years ago, some 10,000 6th graders have been trained in CPR. The organization also placed more than 130 AEDs in area schools, churches and the like, and offered heart screenings to school-aged kids.
"So much of what we do in the foundation is truly carrying on his legacy by taking care of others and making sure other families don't have to go through what we had been through," Marshall-Silva said.
