After a shattering death, Reali family foundation provides heart screenings for aspiring young athletes
The Frank J. Reali III Family Foundation celebrates the life of the 36-year-old father of five who had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), one of several heart conditions known as Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes. HCM is characterized by a thickening of the heart muscle. The genetic disorder is estimated to affect one in 500 people and can lead to sudden cardiac death if untreated.
“I never even knew of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy before my son’s death,” Fran Reali said. “When this happened, it took awhile for us to find out what it was that he died from.”
Looking back, she said her son, who excelled at sports including basketball, football and baseball, may have experienced symptoms of HCM, such as shortness of breath and chest pain. But when you’re young, you don’t think anything is wrong, she lamented.
“That’s the reason why it’s sudden cardiac death. Most of the symptoms are so mild or so easily misinterpreted as a little agita, or overexertion or too much stress,” Mrs. Reali said. “The last symptom you have is death.”
After her son died, Mrs. Reali developed a rare form of lymphoma and underwent daily radiation treatments for three months. During that time, she started researching HCM and learned that around 400,000 young adults age 40 and under are affected by sudden cardiac death each year.
“I was in shock when I saw this,” said the owner of Safari Realty in Meiers Corners.
In 2008, the family foundation was started. It provides funds for screenings, such as echocardiograms and electrocardiograms for children ages 12 to 14 who are entering high school sports. The Realis hope these screenings become part of the mandatory school physical.
So far, a portable echocardiogram machine has been purchased and donated in the foundation’s name to Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze. Several screenings have been done at the hospital and doctors and technicians from both SIUH and the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York in Long Island (formerly Schneider Children’s Hospital) donate their time to do the screenings.
The foundation is making its way into local parochial and private schools and would eventually like to screen children in public schools as well. They are also looking for doctors and technicians willing to donate their time to do the screenings.
To raise money to buy the machine and do the screenings, the foundation hosts several events, including a dinner and golf outing throughout the year.
“I can’t stop a child from getting hit by a bus or getting cancer,” Mrs. Reali explained. “But if I can save one parent the grief of loosing a child due to a heart issue, my son’s death won’t be in vain.”