CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A young man is weeks away from graduating high school, but that achievement may not have been possible if he didn’t get a heart screening.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools athletes are offered free screenings each year, which is part of Atrium Health’s Heart of a Champion Day program.
South Mecklenburg High School senior Myles Jones never had heart issues before.
He was a sophomore when the student-athlete got the news.
“I remember I played that Thursday before my MRI, and I remember that Friday I had my MRI that morning,” Jones said.
[ALSO READ: Student-athletes encouraged to take ownership of programs]
Jones went to a doctor and was diagnosed with a heart disease called cardiomyopathy.
He was also told he had to stop playing sports.
Dr. David Price from Atrium Health helped with Jones' diagnosis.
RELATED LINKS:
“With continued exercise, with this particular type of cardiomyopathy, can actually worsen the function of the heart, so catching (it) early was potentially lifesaving,” Price said.
Price and other volunteers have partnered with CMS for more than a decade and have offered heart screenings to students as part of the annual program.
“Myles, I remember from the event because his was interesting,” Price said. “His was picked up on this heart tracing called the EKG.”
Jones is currently receiving treatment, in good health and is about to go to college.
“Having doctors being able to detect that for me was like a blessing,” Jones said. “People always know how to act when things go right but when things go left, they tend to get stuck, and I chose not to get stuck.”
Registration for the event is now closed. Registration dates were April 29-May 26.
>> Reading this story in our app? The new "Follow the Lead" feature allows you to tap the blue tag indicated with a '+' to subscribe to alerts on the very latest breaking news updates.