Heart of Edmonds Fundraiser from tamagofilms on Vimeo.

The Heart of Edmonds Project is sponsoring a Feb. 27 gala at Holy Rosary Parish Center in Edmonds to complete its mission to place automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at all Edmonds School District schools and playfields.

The Heart of Edmonds Project was created in memory of 16-year-old Matthew Truax, who died Sept. 13, 2013 while running the track in PE at Meadowdale High School in Lynnwood. He suffered a sudden cardiac arrest due to an undiagnosed heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Sudden cardiac arrest is the sudden onset of an abnormal and lethal heart rhythm. It is the leading cause of death in the U.S., afflicting over 300,000 individuals per year, and is also the leading cause of sudden death in exercising young athletes. Sudden cardiac arrest can be effectively treated through prompt recognition, early provision of CPR, and early access to a defibrillator.

According to event organizer Melinda Truax, mother of Matthew Truax, the first Save A Life; Equip A Hero Auction & Gala raised enough money to equip five high schools in the Edmonds School District with 27 new AEDs. “Our goal for the second Save A Life;
Equip A Hero Auction & Gala is to raise a minimum of $60,000 to equip five middle and 22 elementary schools in the Edmonds School District,” she said.