VIDEO: Free Physicals For Teens

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI)-

Mississippi area students in Grade 6 and up came to the St. James Catholic Church Family Life Center for the free screenings. They had their height and weight measured. They had electrocardiograms done, and if necessary an echocardiogram also was performed. The Weston Reed Foundation sponsored the free sports physicals to area athletes. Weston Reed was an 11-year who experienced sudden cardiac death on August 16, 2007 while practicing soccer at Ballard Park. His father says that is why these screenings are so important.

“Well I think its important because my son was healthy and was enjoying life and playing sports and he collapsed on the soccer field so I think it’s important that kids all get their heart checked and parents know if there’s any problems.”

“It could be any of our children and I think it’s important that all of our kids. People don’t know that that could be a problem and we hope that we can find a kid and hopefully we can find that problem and prevent them from that happening to their child.”

Dr. Karl Crossen is a Tupelo Cardiologist who looked at all the EKG’s. He says Weston Reed’s case was very revealing.

“It brought to light the fact that athletes have a small but concerning risk for an electrical event while they’re participating so the question comes is it possible to try to improve our ability to predict who’s at risk. And so that began the process of creating this extra effort on the behalf of the people in this area we screen athletes voluntarily by doing EKG’s and if the EKG’s abnormal they actually get an ecocardiogram which is an ultrasound of your heart in order to refine this information a little bit more.”

One of the students who came in for a physical was Tupelo High School Junior Niland Fortenberry.

“I run cross country so I needed a Physical for the season and also it’s really great that this one free and two it offers EKG’s which is a really great thing to make sure your heart’s working good.”