Mandy Housenick to appear at a special event on Wednesday

FROM KEITH GROLLER

My colleague Mandy Housenick will be speaking at a special event on Wednesday that could save lives.

Athletes, parents and coaches are invited to attend a free discussion on Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), which is considered a silent threat.

Mandy has Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and wants to do what she can to increase awarenss about a health issue that shortened her high school sports career and may impact hundreds of other young athletes.

HCM is a genetic disease in which the heart's muscle is abnormally thick.

It affects one in 500 people, a small number of whom are at risk for sudden death, especially younger people who engage in competitive sports.

This disease also took the life of basketball player, Hank Gathers.

Among the other panelists are Matthew Martinez, M.D., who is the director at the HCM Center, and Lisa Salbert, who is the founder of the HCM Association and a HCM patient herself.

This very worthwhile session is set for Wednesday night from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Here's a YouTube Mandy made talking about HCM and its impact on her life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98sYYW9iB54

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/