Athletes Have Heart to Honor Teammate

They gathered by the hundreds Saturday at Fountain Valley High to remember a buoyant young man who, in the words of his former football coach, still had “so much to say, so much to do” when he collapsed and died in November from a rare heart condition.

Scores of relatives, teammates, doctors and volunteers also assembled, nearly a year after Scotty Lang’s death, with the aim of ensuring that no one else would fall victim to the treatable but difficult-to-detect disorder that claimed his life.

And when it was over, more than 350 Fountain Valley athletes had received free heart screenings and something perhaps even more valuable: peace of mind. In the words of senior field hockey player Doris Yuen, “We can all feel safer.”

The screenings were dedicated to Lang as part of a pilot program launched by the Yorba Linda-based A Heart for Sports Foundation to raise awareness about heart conditions that can cause sudden death. The athletes were screened for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an abnormal thickening of the heart, which doctors say is the most common heart disorder.

The disorder, which affected Lang, accounts for one of every three cases of sudden death, according to the medical journal Circulation.

Jeff Greaves, co-founder of A Heart for Sports Foundation, lost his father to the disorder and was diagnosed with it himself at age 28. He said news of Lang’s death motivated him to start the foundation last year.

“We saw a need to educate the public and try to protect these kids and make these screenings public,” Greaves said. “Right now, with the insurance situations and trying to get someone checked who doesn’t look like they have anything wrong with them, it’s really tough. These heart checks that we’re doing are generally very expensive.”

Greaves estimated that the tests administered Saturday would normally cost about $500 each. A more thorough heart exam, he said, would be in the $1,500 range.

Saturday’s screenings were free thanks to SonoSite Inc., which donated the use of four hand-held cardiac ultrasound devices, dozens of volunteers and a handful of world-renowned heart specialists who volunteered their time.

One of those specialists, Barry Maron, director of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, cautioned that the screenings, while highly effective, are not foolproof.

“There are no guarantees in screening because a lot of the very rare defects that can occasionally cause sudden death would be difficult, if not in some cases impossible, to identify with any kind of available technology,” Maron said. “But we’re looking here at the most common, most likely, most relevant causes.”

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Though the event was tempered with lingering sadness over Lang’s death, it took on somewhat of a carnival-like atmosphere with a live band, former NFL players who signed autographs and an assortment of food donated by local restaurants.

Steve and Cindy Lang, Scotty’s parents, appeared upbeat.

“This is a way to give back for all the support we’ve received from the community and the school,” Cindy Lang said. “And it’s healing, I think, for all of us.”

The meaning of the occasion was not lost on the celebrities such as former San Diego Charger cornerback Reggie Berry.

“Being an athlete and finding out all these athletes are dropping dead from having heart problems that they didn’t know about, I think it’s very vital for people to have their heart checked,” Berry said. “I’ve had two friends who have died from having a bad ticker and not knowing.

“This is something that has to be done.”

Moving tributes were also delivered Saturday. Local songwriter Shawn Jones, who has a song on the soundtrack to the movie “Mystery, Alaska,” sang a ballad he wrote in Lang’s honor. Also, Fountain Valley football coach Eric Johnson stood before the crowd and read a touching note he had written after Lang’s funeral.

“We buried a friend today,” Johnson said. “He played with us, he fought with us, he had a soul. He was one of us. We buried a son today. Our joy, our life, he left so soon. We love him. He’s a part of us. We buried a brother today. Why did he leave so soon? So much to say, so much to do.”

The Fountain Valley football team, which has dedicated its season to Lang, later beat Carson 17-14.

Barons players such as senior wide receiver Chris Abeyta said they were thankful that they could now compete with an added sense of safety.

“It’s your heart, it’s what makes you go,” Abeyta said. “If you know it’s OK, you’re going to play better and not worry about it.”

Event organizers hope that more screenings will take place throughout Orange County. The school plans to hold another screening later in the year to accommodate others who want to be tested.

But what about other schools across Southern California and the nation?

“It is a lot of work and does require largely volunteer support,” Maron said. “I guess I’d have to say that it might be difficult to imagine this as a national program that is systematic and uniform throughout the country in all levels of socioeconomic status. However, I don’t want to prejudge that either.

“The chances of government support are probably low as a health care issue because of the rare occurrence of the defects and the rare occurrence of the catastrophes, all raising that specter of cost efficacy, particularly at this time with issues surrounding the health care system.

“But I think any well-meaning effort like this one is going to do a fair amount of good even if it never becomes a standard U.S. policy for athletes.”

“If one person or 10 people are saved,” Steve Lang said, “what a great blessing this will be.”