WATCH: 4EVER YOUNG Anti-Aging Solutions, Fitness Club Merritt Island Presents Donation to ‘Who We Play For’

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ABOVE VIDEO: 4EVERYOUNG Anti-Aging Solutions and Fitness Club Merritt Island owners Denise and Lou Manley presented a check to “Who We Play For” Directors Shawn Sima and Evan Ernst on Thursday.

BREVARD COUNTY • MERRITT ISLAND, FLORIDA – 4EVERYOUNG Anti-Aging Solutions and Fitness Club Merritt Island owners Denise and Lou Manley presented a check to “Who We Play For” Directors Shawn Sima and Evan Ernst on Thursday.

Sudden cardiac death is the most common medical cause of death in athletes, with an incidence of around 1 in 40,000 to 1 in 80,000 athletes per year.

“You are truly helping us save lives, we are saving children’s lives,” said Shawn Sima of “Who We Play For.”

ABOUT WHO WE PLAY FOR

The story of Who We Play For began November 30, 2007, on the goal line of a Cocoa Beach High School soccer field, where Rafe Maccarone went into sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) following a warm-up routine before the beginning of practice.

The next day, December 1, 2007, Rafe passed away, and we would later learn the condition that caused his cardiac arrest was called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Our community was rocked by the reality that a seemingly healthy and active 15-year-old, who passed all his sports physicals, could die from heart disease while playing the sport he loved most.

An even more shocking reality we faced was that not only was Rafe’s condition detectable, and in fact the leading cause of SCA in sports, but there were also several countries that long ago recognized SCA in youth as an immense public health issue that it is an established screening protocol to identify these children at risk before they take the sports field. Those efforts abroad, in countries such as Italy, have reduced the incidence of sudden cardiac arrest by 89%.

This was a reality that our community refused to accept for our students, so in 2014 we established WWPF as a 501 c3 and began partnering with schools across the state of Florida. Six other states provide affordable ECG screenings for their students. Our goal has always been to show the country that not only is it imperative, but it is also possible to deliver affordable ECG screenings to every child no matter their level of athletics, socio-economic status or geographical location.

To date, WWPF has screened over 100,000 people in over 300 communities across seven states. We have identified 76 individuals that needed some level of medical intervention, including heart transplants, and hundreds of others with abnormalities that can now be monitored.

The soul of WWPF has always been to represent the thousands of children each year, like Rafe, that suffer sudden cardiac arrest from detectable heart conditions and the communities left to find a solution in the wake of these tragedies. Each community we have served and will serve in the future has been impacted by SCA in some way, and their stories help strengthen our mission to eliminate preventable sudden cardiac deaths in youth.

ABOUT FITNESS CLUB MERRITT ISLAND

Locally owned and operated, Fitness Club Merritt Island, located at 1450 North Courtenay Pkwy. Suite 15 in the Shoppes of Victoria Square is among the longest-running and best-equipped fitness centers in Brevard County.

Founded in 2003, the club opened as Island Fitness of Brevard by a group of friends and has made many changes and improvements while remaining committed to the loyal following built up over the years and among the few privately owned gyms on the Space Coast.

“Locally owned and operated, we pride ourselves in offering our services to help train, educate, and inform our members’ bodies and mindsets,” said co-owner Lou Manley.

“Our full-service facility provides an ideal space for all ages to learn to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Our gym has everything needed to help you reach your wellness goals. We were fortunate enough to move to North Courtenay and increase our space to 21,000 square feet. By making this change, we could offer our members so much more under one roof.”

Members will find a bounty of classes and amenities at the newly expanded facility, including an array of brand-new modern high-performance Hammer Strength training equipment, an on-site childcare area, and a protein and juice bar.

The gym now features more than 21,000 square feet and includes additional exercise equipment, a new aerobics room, a turf area, additional wet areas, and more.

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