Holly Morell is a bright, beautiful 38 year old women who is the Executive Director for Heartfelt Cardiac Projects. Heartfelt Cardiac Projects is a nonprofit organization that conducts free community-based cardiac screening for high school and college student/athletes in an effort to prevent sudden cardiac death.
I first heard about Holly after reading about her family's long and tragic history of Hypertrophic Cardiomoypathy and sudden death. Holly had lost five out of nine of her family members to sudden cardiac arrest. Holly herself received her own implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) after being diagnosed with HCM herself in July, 2002. Holly's work with "Heartfelt Cardiac Projects" is dedicated to her family.
Holly's father, Chuck Morrell, a heart transplant recipient recently became the "6th" member of her family to die from heart disease. He passed away February 2005.
God bless you Chuck Morrell, you gave our "cause" more awareness then you could even know.
Pamela Christian is a Director of Women's Ministries and a Christian radio talk show host. She suffered a cardiac arrest at the young age of 47 while playing tennis, she was saved by an AED and now she is spreading the word about AEDs while she spreads the word of the gospel. For more information on Pamela Christian and her aspiration please visit her web link at: http://www.pamelachristianministries.com/blessyourheart/
Christina Ruiz
This Cal State Long Beach University student was running on the Jack Rose track as part of a final during her Kinesiology class when she collapsed. Christina suffered a seizure and slipped into cardiac arrest. Her track coach rushed to her side and began CPR; the campus police arrived with an AED and restored Christina's chaotic heart to a normal rhythm. They arrived within 3 minutes and thanks to the quick response of her coach, Christina's life was saved. She was rushed to the hospital and placed on life support. She did not regain consciousness for another day and a half. She was 22 years old.
Christina is one of 10,000 young people who die each year from sudden cardiac arrest. As she continues down a healing path, Christina hopes to return to school and her work as a Fitness Instructor this summer. Until then, she is spending all her time learning everything she can about sudden cardiac arrest. She is determined and dedicated to educating others about the dangers of sudden cardiac arrest and the only lifesaving treatment, defibrillation.
Christina is working with The Ray of Life Foundation to place AEDs in fitness facilities in and around Orange County. "I died on that track that day, if there was a missing link in that chain, I wouldn't be here today." I want to give people hope, when it comes to this type of situation; there is something out there that can save lives." AEDs save lives".
CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF RAYMOND JACOBSON M.D. 1961-2001
San Clemente Women's Guild & BJ Spoon
The Women's Guild at San Clemente Hospital was one of the fist service organizations to support The Ray Jacobson Memorial Fund. The Memorial Fund was formed immediately following Ray's untimely death.
The members of the Women's Guild made individual donations as well as a "club" donation of $3,500.00. Those generous donations were used to purchase AEDs for the City of San Clemente Project. In the Fall of 2002, The Women's Guild made another generous donation. They commissioned local Laguna Beach artist, BJ Spoon, to paint a mural in memory of Ray. The mural was painted in the lobby of the San Clemente Hospital Emergency Department, a place where Ray saved lives every day.
Spoon painted his rendition of Ray's Burial at Sea in the Dana Point Harbor. He used his sensational talent to capture a life-changing moment in the lives of those who loved Ray.
We wish to acknowledge The Guild and Spoon for creating this moving and meaningful tribute to an extraordinary man and an exceptional physician. Good Bless You All. To view more of BJ Spoon's work please visit his site: http://www.muralsbyspoon.com
Leslie Caylin Spears
Caylin Spear
It is not always possible to choose the path our lives take. My own began as a girl born with only one leg. For unknown scientific reasons I was born missing the femur in my right leg. By no choice of my own I was given a vision that was already very different from others. After going through a traumatic amputation of what was left on my right foot my mother desperately put me into art classes to ease the pain. Painting and drawing became a release from reality for me. I could escape into my vision and fall into a world I created myself. However; I soon learned that these visions I was painting were not just for me. They communicated what I saw in the world, my own perspective of the landscape that surrounds me. I began to realize my visual expression had the potential to affect others.
"Heart Saving Hearts"
Techno Valentine
By Caylin
Our Young Champions, The Girl scouts
Shortly after Ray's death, two young ladies read about our work and decided to coordinate a CPR/AED training in their community. During the planning stages, Brianna's younger brother Spencer, ironically collapsed at school. Suffering from a cardiac arrest at the age of fourteen. Spencer survived, had heart surgery and is back to playing golf. Meanwhile, the girls CPR/AED event was hugely successful. Over 120 people participated! Coincidentally, Spencer and Ray Jacobson suffered from the same condition called Supra Ventricular Tachycardia, also known as SVT.
Spenser Lauro
Spencer is a volunteer with The Ray of Life Foundation. When he was 14 years old he collapsed from sudden cardiac arrest while on the junior high school track in October, 2002. Paramedics arrived quickly and stabilize his heart and rushed him to the hospital. He was diagnosed with super ventricular tachycardia, or a rapid heartbeat. (The normal heart rate is 60-80 beats a minute; Lauro's heart rate had reached 248 beats a minute. Shortly afterwards doctors performed radio frequency catheter ablation, a surgery that destroys the "extra" electrical impulses responsible for rapid heartbeat. His mother Nathalie said, she believes firmly in making an impact in the community by raising awareness with CPR/AED education. It's been three years since Lauro's experience and he has been living a normal life, playing golf and pursuing other activities.
