Family Of 8-Year-Old With HCM To Speak At Conference Advocating Screening Processes This Weekend
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — On Halloween four years ago, Luke Rose was nearly four years old. He was playing hide and seek with his grandfather and older brother Jack, when his grandfather heard something and asked Luke if he was ok.
"He was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is a thickening of the muscle of the heart," said
Luke's now nearly 8-years-old. Gregg and Lauryn, his parents, were warned his heart could stop without warning.
"He was in cardiac arrest and my mom and I did CPR on him," Lauryn said, who, along with her mom, is a nurse.
Over the next week, he was stabilized, his chest cracked open, a pacemaker installed.
His condition is very rare in someone so young but is much more prevalent in teens.
It's his condition, undiagnosed, is what often kills athletes.
"Young kid, very athletic, play ball on the field and suddenly collapse, a lot of times it's this condition," said Dr. Wang, a cardiologist at UMMC.
Dr. Wang is one of those organizing a conference this weekend to help families and health professionals manage HCM.
"We want to identify the high-risk patients, help them, treat them," Dr. Wang said.
Gregg, Lauren and Luke will take questions at the event.
"I think if there were better screening at younger ages then a lot of lives can be saved," Gregg said.
Living with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, a free seminar for patients and families, will be this Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The event is at the SMC Campus Center, located in Baltimore at 621 W Lombard St.
There is no cost to participate in this event but registration is required.
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