(By Julie Achilles)
On January 24, 2005, Phyllis Sudman and her husband put their seemingly healthy, three-month-old baby Simon down for a nap. He never woke up.
Simon died that day from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), a silent condition that affects thousands of children every year.
Since their tragedy, the Sudmans have been proactive in preventing the deaths of other children through Simon’s Fund, their non-profit organization based out of Plymouth Meeting.
“I have a very different perspective on life now, and I truly hope that no family has to go through what we continue to go through,” Sudman said. “No one can replace Simon, but our mission is to save the life of one child…and then another, by raising awareness about heart conditions that lead to SCA and death.”
Today, Simon’s Fund has expanded to a year-round operation with 12 board members.
They offer free heart screenings to children at schools throughout the Greater Philadelphia region. A simple EKG screening can help detect a hidden structural heart defect like cardiomyopathy, a condition where the heart is abnormally large, or Long QT Syndrome, an irregularity in the heart’s rhythm. Both conditions, if identified, can be treated with medication or corrective surgery.
To date, Simon’s Fund has checked nearly 2,000 hearts, and has changed 16 local lives for the better.
Simon’s Fund holds one major family fundraising event each year to promote research and raise awareness about the warning signs of SCA.
