The Dominic A. Murray 21 Memorial Foundation provides heart screenings for children, teens, and young adults for the early detection of risk factors and conditions that may lead to sudden cardiac arrest, training in CPR-AED, and life saving AED equipment to prevent sudden cardiac arrest and death in the young. DomHeart21 provides heart screenings for early detection, training, and lifesaving equipment in all communities, so no child is at risk for sudden cardiac arrest or death, no matter where they live, learn and play.
Melinda Murray-Nyack is the Founder and President of the Dominic A. Murray 21 Memorial Foundation, a 501c3 established in 2010. Melinda is on the Board of Queens Chamber of Commerce, National Board of Parent HeartWatch, American Heart Association volunteer, Member of the Bayside Business Association, Member of the Health and Business Alliance and is a certified HeartSaver CPR-AED Instructor.
Tune in for this sensible conversation at TalkRadio.nycor watch theFacebook Livestream by clicking here.
The interview began with a question about what drew Melinda to the non-profit sector. She shares a story about her only child, Dominic, who passed away after experiencing sudden cardiac arrest during a basketball match. After his passing, it was discovered that Dominic had a congenital heart defect that had gone unrevealed during his life. She shares that 23,000 young people die of cardiac arrest each year and 7,000 of these deaths are young people under the age of 18. She says the majority of these deaths are completely preventable and she stresses the importance of educating parents and school staff about how to spot the symptoms of cardiac arrest.
Melinda highlights that her organization provides training and donates medical equipment for non-profit and other organizations that can’t afford equipment. She emphasizes the desire of her organization to hear from members of the community who would love to get involved with her organization. Melinda also shares that she was a part of the lobbying effort in New York to make it compulsory to have CPR taught in schools and she emphasizes the importance of having this information.
During the third segment of the interview, Melinda distinguishes between a heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest. She emphasizes the importance of knowing one’s family history and for parents and student athletes to take the time to accurately complete medical history forms. She also discusses the screening grants her organization provides. This screening is offered free of charge to students who may be at risk; to date the program has screened about 6,000 youth.
Melinda emphasizes the need for public and non-public schools to educate students on the signs of sudden cardiac arrest. She also highlights the importance of school coaches to be well informed about the signs of sudden cardiac arrest. She states that this knowledge should also be incorporated into their training along with the mandated concussion training. Finally, she announces that her organization is hosting a virtual fundraiser which will help raise funds for training and AED equipment. The details for this event can be found on her organization’s website under the “21 under 21” tab.
