WEST CHESTER, PA – According to the Mayo Clinic, sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death among young athletes, a fact that became all too real for a local mother when it happened to her son in 2010.

He died. She then founded Aidan’s Heart Foundation to honor her son and teach other young people what to do when someone collapses.

Christy Marshall-Siva said: “Aidan was my oldest child. He was seven years old, in perfect health and had never had any symptoms of heart problems. Suddenly, 14 years ago, at the age of seven, he died of an unexplained cardiac arrest.”

In the lead-up to that terrible day, Christy continues to make it her mission to save others from what happened. As the new school year begins, young people receive instructions on what to do in a similar emergency.

Adam Pontzer, a senior at Henderson High School, said, “I don’t want to have to save someone. I’d rather go through life without using it, but if I need to, it’s an amazing feeling to know I can do it if I need to. I can make an impact and save someone’s life.”

“If someone starts doing CPR with just their hands, there’s a 90 percent chance they’ll survive,” said Anthony Fiore, another senior at Henderson High School.

“We have classmates who help teach other classmates. It’s a win-win situation,” said Steve Fitch, athletic director at Henderson High School.

Brady Roudabush, a senior at Henderson High School, believes more people need to be trained. “If more people do it, there’s a lot more people you can help because there’s not always going to be a lifeguard, an EMT there. If someone falls at home or a bar, you have to be able to help them.”

Jason Rice, also a senior at Henderson High, added, “My job here coaching my peers means that if there’s ever an accident or something on a sports team, it’s more likely to end well.”

“The amount of people Aidan’s Heart coaches is just unreal,” said Jordan Jonas, coach at Henderson High School.

Cardiac arrest is surprisingly one of the leading causes of death among students and athletes in schools.

And sometimes, Christy finds that all her work and training can pay off. Christy just heard from a seventh-grade student she certified in CPR last spring. “She sent me an email today that was simple and one sentence: ‘I learned CPR last year and this Saturday I used it to save my dad’s life. He’s in the hospital. I’ll keep you posted.’”