Local mothers travel to Arizona to learn about heart screenings

Sparta - Debra Masterson, local mother and heart health advocate, has returned from a trip to Phoenix, Ariz., where she observed and learned how to facilitate local heart screening events. Masterson, president of The Robie Foundation, was joined by Kathleen Gagg, executive director of the foundation, which hopes to host its first heart screening event in Sparta this fall. The heart screening event they attended was sponsored by the Anthony Bates Foundation, which has conducted 16 screenings over the last six years. Anthony Bates was 20 when he died on July 31, 2000, from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a form of heart disease. Bates was a Division 1 college football player at Kansas State University. His mother, Sharon Bates, heads the foundation. “We had no warnings his heart was diseased, but with early detection he could have led a full productive life,” she said. The foundation has screened more than 2,200 young hearts since its inception, and the screenings have found previously undetected heart conditions in six percent. The event attended by Masterson and Gagg screened 255 people, seven of whom were found to have heart defects. One boy of 14 was discovered to have long QT syndrome, an electrical problem in the heart which can cause sudden death. The syndrome is often referred to as a “ticking time bomb.” Masterson hopes to replicate this type of heart screening in Sussex County, first in Sparta and then in other local communities. The Sparta event this fall, still in the planning stages, will be free of charge to area residents ages five through 40. Robie Masterson was a few weeks shy of his fourth birthday when he died from an undetected congenital heart defect. Part of a set of triplets, Robie had patent ductus arteriosus, also known as a heart murmur. As president of The Robie Foundation, Debra Masterson says she is determined to spare other families the grief she and her family have gone through. The foundation is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization formed in December 2004. Its mission is to “save lives by early detection, one heart at a time.” The foundation will hold its second annual “A Night at the Races,” from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, May 27, at the Pegasus restaurant at the Meadowlands Raceway in East Rutherford. Tickets are $150 each and include a complete gourmet buffet dinner .For information or tickets, call 973-735-4448 or send e-mail to DebraMasterson@TheRobieFoundation.com. John Sterling, N.Y. Yankees announcer, will conduct a special auction of autographed items from the Yankees, as well as other autographed sports memorabilia. The Robie Foundation is still seeking corporate sponsors, monetary donations, and donations to the tricky tray/raffle portion of the evening. Due date for raffle items is May 14. For information, call 973-735-4448 or send e-mail to JillScott@TheRobieFoundation.com. All donations are tax deductible. For information on the foundation, log on to TheRobieFoundation.com.