On Nov. 14, 2014, Patrick Schoonover, a student at Black Hawk Middle School in Eagan, died after collapsing during a hockey game. Doctors later discovered that he had multiple undiagnosed heart defects.

In honor of their son, 1982 Mounds View graduate Mike Schoonover and his wife Gayle began the Patrick Schoonover Heart Foundation and the Play for Patrick Fund with the goal of offering free heart scans to teenagers. “After Patrick passed away, we researched [sudden cardiac arrest] and found many organizations that offered free heart screens to kids,” said Schoonover.

The foundation has already screened 1,070 teens at five Play for Patrick heart screening events.

These scans can catch heart defects that usually go undetected during sports physicals, which don’t test heart health. So far, 70 students have been found with various heart issues, two of them with life-threatening ones. But while the scans are very effective, they are also uncommon.

“Unfortunately, screenings are not that common to this degree because they take a lot of manpower, a lot of donations and a lot of volunteer effort,” said Dr. Charles Kim in a video on the Foundation’s website. Kim specializes in cardiovascular diseases and partnered with the Schoonovers to offer free heart scans.

“[Screenings won’t] be as sensitive or as specific as the full testing, but for the people at high risk, it might be enough,” Kim said in an interview with KSTP.

Next fall, the foundation will be running free heart scans at Mounds View on Saturday, Sept. 17. At the event, electrocardiograms will be administered to participants to check the heart’s electrical activity.

“We’re going to offer free heart scans for any and all of our students here and Irondale as well,” said Activities Director Bob Madison. “We’ll get anybody that we can ages 14 to 18 through on that day to try and prevent something tragic from happening.”

Along with the scans, there will be hands-only CPR and AED training as well as storyboards with information about students who have been affected by heart conditions.

Madison has high hopes for student turnout.

“I think the most they’ve ever done is around 300 [students],” said Madison. “I’d like to see us do more than 300 students.”

While the foundation does not plan to expand to different age groups, it is expecting to expand to more high schools. For those interested in volunteering, check the foundation’s website, playforpatrick.org, or follow them on Twitter @playforpatrick.