Washington Program

Background

This newly updated national version has been introduced as a pilot program in three states – Washington, Arizona and New York. Nick of Time Foundation began rolling out this program beginning in summer 2013.

Endorsed by:

  • Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association
  • Nick of Time Foundation
  • Quinn Driscoll Foundation
  • Spencer's HeartStrong Foundation
  • Seattle Fire Fighter's Union L27
  • WA State Athletic Trainers Association
  • American Medical Society of Sports Medicine
  • American College of Emergency Room Physicians- Washington
  • Seattle Seahawks
  • Seattle Sounders
  • Quinn Driscoll Quinn Driscoll
    One week shy of his 14th birthday and just a few days before school let out for the summer, Quinn was approaching one of life's milestones: transition into high school. Quinn's final words to his friends as they came to the second-to-last curve on the track were “come on guys, feel the burn."
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    Quinn kicked it into high gear—a football, baseball and basketball athlete trying to show the track guys how to finish a mile-long run. A few steps into his sprint to the finish, his diseased heart beat for the last time. Despite the frantic efforts of so many unsung heroes, he could not be revived.

    Quinn died from an undiagnosed heart disease called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM. This disease and many other diseases of the heart often go undetected, and many result in sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). As in Quinn's case, there were no symptoms or indications his heart was more than twice the size of a normal 13-year-old’s heart.

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  • Spencer Best Spencer Best
    A new high school year, a new driver’s license, and what seemed to be a new exciting phase of life awaited 16-year-old Spencer Best. With his shiny new license in hand and car waiting, he left home on a sunny Sunday evening to go work out at the high school basketball gym with his teammates.
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    Early in the session, Spencer, an otherwise healthy 16-year old, started to feel dizzy. While running down the floor, he knew something wasn't right, and called a time out. After putting his hands on his knees, Spencer hit the floor face-first. His heart had stopped working normally.

    As other players yelled for help, Spencer's coach and another student’s parent rushed to his side. CPR was administered and approximately 8 minutes later, Spencer's heart was re-started through the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED). He was rushed to a nearby hospital and flown by Life Flight to a children's hospital in Portland, Oregon.

    After nearly a week in the hospital and a surgery to receive an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), Spencer returned home to his friends and family to begin his new life. Spencer recently returned to competitive athletics, and he’s working within his community to make a difference in raising awareness about sudden cardiac arrest.