October 19 – November 1, 2013 www.SanTanSun.com
Advocate educates about Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Chandler ghost hunters search for paranormal proof
Daughter died in sleep at age 22 BY TRACY HOUSE
Christine Puricelli wants to see some changes in the community. After losing her daughter Emilie at the young age of 22 from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), Puricelli has made it her purpose to educate and inform about SCA. Puricelli found out through testing, after Emilie had passed, that she and her husband both tested positive for Long QT Syndrome, a congenital condition that predisposes the child to the abnormality of the heart’s electrical system. It can lead to SCA, a condition in which the heart stops beating abruptly and unexpectedly, according to the Sudden Cardiac Awareness Foundation. It’s estimated that more than 350,000 people die each year from SCA, claiming one life every two minutes. Puricelli has been speaking, writing and educating about SCA since Emilie died. She’s been trying to get the word out about the prescription drug connection with SCA and wants to see schools and other public areas equipped with Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), a device that analyzes the hearts rhythm and safely delivers an electric shock if needed. “We’re so far behind here,” Puricelli says. “I’ve talked to the fire department. I’ve talked to the head nurse in Chandler (school district). I’ve called the athletic director.”
BY SHANNA HOGAN
STRIKING THE YOUNG: Emilie Puricelli, above, died in her sleep from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) on Aug. 30, 1997. Her mother, Christine Puricelli, works to raise awareness through Emilie’s story. Submitted photo
Puricelli is frustrated with trying to get AEDs in each school. “You have no idea how hard this can be to get this rolling. In Chandler, this really needs to roll.” SEE SUDDEN
CARDIAC ARREST PAGE 6
It was late at night and Bruce Rice was asleep in his South Chandler apartment, when he was startled by the sound of an intruder. Sprawled face down in the center of his bed, his eyes shot open and the color drained from his face. “I could hear someone in my room,” he says. “I felt the weight of someone sitting on my bed. It sunk down on the side, like someone was sitting on the edge.” Paralyzed with fear, Rice lay motionless as he felt the intruder lean closer. He heard the soft rustle of hair falling of its shoulders. Then, a familiar voice uttered a single word in his ear, “Bingo.” Rice quickly peeked around the room, but no one was there. “Right away I pulled the covers over my head,” he says. “When it happened I panicked. It startled me so bad.” Most terrifying was the identity of the vanishing visitor. Rice recognized the voice as that of a family friend who had died just a few days prior. “Bingo,” was a word she had frequently used. For weeks Rice pondered the
Rhythm Fest welcomes ‘Idol’ champ, brings community together BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
“American Idol” winner Candice Glover yearns to connect with her audience through music, while Chandler hopes to meld with its residents and visitors by hosting festivals throughout the year. The two will come together for Chandler’s annual Fall Rhythm Fest, a family friendly event presented by SRP at 5:30 p.m. Sat., Oct. 26, at Tumbleweed Park, 2250 S. McQueen Rd. “I just hope that everybody connects with the words,” Glover says about her aptly titled debut album “Music Speaks,” which hits stores in February.
“A lot of people like dance music and different things like that. My new song, ‘In the Middle,’ has a reggaetype jazzy feel. It makes people want to get up and groove.” While she was on last season of “American Idol,” Glover was sure to connect with the lyrics of any song she was performing. “When I put my album out, I want it to do the same thing,” she says. “I put out a teaser on Instagram of a new song that I have coming out soon. A lot of people said, with the 15-second teaser, they could connect with what I was saying. More than anything, that’s what I want to do with my fans. I want them to understand
and feel where I’m coming from.” Glover may debut songs from
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otherworldly visit, and although it was scary he was also intrigued and soon became a scholar of the spiritual. Today, the apartment maintenance manager is also a paranormal investigator and founder of Chandler Paranormal Research—one of about 50 ghost-hunting groups in the state. Armed with phantom tracking equipment including digital voice recorders, night-vision cameras, fullspectrum camcorders and K2 meters, Rice and his team investigate local haunts in search of paranormal proof. It’s an admittedly strange twist in the life of a man who has always feared ghosts. “I had been scared to death of this stuff my whole life,” he says. “Now I’m SEE HAUNTED PAGE 4
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS
CHANDLER’S GUEST: “American Idol” champ Candice Glover will perform at this year’s Fall Rhythm Fest on Sat., Oct. 26. Submitted photo
FOR A COOLER ARIZONA
FIRST-HAND KNOWLEDGE: Bruce Rice, founder of Chandler Paranormal Research, began hunting for ghosts after his own spiritual encounter. Submitted photo
SUPPORTING MOM: Billy Coakley, 11, and Jake Coakley, 9, of the 11U Generals baseball team, flank their mother, “team mom” Pam. The team wore pink socks during October to support breast cancer awareness. Pam Coakley says she was “blessed” with breast cancer in December 2008 and she is nearly at her five-year mark. STSN photo by Tiera Allen
SEE FESTIVAL PAGE 5
F E AT U R E STO R I E S SRP extends schedule for planned power line project. . . . . .COMMUNITY . . . . . . . . . . . Page 7 Shoppers Ranch and Home Supply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BUSINESS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 17 Primavera Blended Learning Center opens in Chandler. . . . .YOUTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 27 Pitta Souvli fetes six years of healthy Greek cuisine. . . . . . . .NEIGHBORS . . . . . . . . . . Page 44 Steve Vai makes rare Arizona appearance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 53
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