The Morrell Family
SIX OUT OF NINE DIED
The Morrell Family Story
Sudden Cardiac Death in the form of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) has stalked the Morrell family for three generations, claiming six lives and forever haunting those left behind. The Morrell's legacy of loss began one day in 1956 when Chuck and his twin Gary were given heartbreaking news. Their 3-year-old sister Michelle had died in her sleep. Her young heart had simply stopped beating. Mother, Virginia Morrell, would die of heart failure in 1963 at age 54. In 1975 Gary's son, Kyle, 12, collapsed and was left comatose from a sudden cardiac event and died two months later. The entire family was examined, and four were diagnosed with HCM: Chuck, Gary, and two of Gary's children, Desiree and Mitchell. All of them had, unknowingly --like Kyle-- been stalked by this deadly gene their entire lives. Unfortunately, the medical profession's understanding of this disease was minimal. Mitchell, 14, died less than a year later. Desiree, also at the age of 14, suffered sudden cardiac arrest but survived and now has a son of her own, Tyler. Unfortunately, Tyler inherited the gene and at age 11 had an implanted device designed to jumpstart his heart should a sudden cardiac event occur. Thankfully, the device has successfully saved his life on two occasions. Gary Morrell died as a result of HCM in 1991. Chuck Morrell received a new heart in 1995. Chuck's daughter, Holly, left a long-term career in equestrian show jumping in 1999 to devote her fulltime attention to the cause of saving lives from Sudden Cardiac Death. Just three years later she was diagnosed with HCM and received an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) in July 2002. She founded and is now the Executive Director of Heartfelt Cardiac Projects. Gary Morrell's other daughters, Jackie and Gina, are both free of HCM and have families of their own. Chuck Morrell also has a son, Eric, who is not affected with HCM. Eric and his wife named their first-born son Kyle Mitchell Morrell in memory of Eric's cousins lost to HCM. Sadly, Chuck Morrell passed away in 2005, becoming the sixth member of the Morrell Family to die from HCM. He will always be remembered as the inspiration for Holly's cardiac screenings and continuing efforts via Heartfelt Cardiac Projects. Together they spearheaded community screening efforts to spare other families the grief of losing loved ones to the tragedy of Sudden Cardiac Death. Desiree, now 45 years old, received a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) in October 2008 and will soon be preparing for a heart transplant. She is a miracle and, to the best of anyone's knowledge, she is the only person known to have lived 30plus years after surviving a full cardiac arrest at age 14.
Tyler & Desiree Morrell
Virginia, Gary & Chuck Morrell
Anita, Mitchell, Kyle, Gary, Desiree, Gina & Jackie Morrell
Michelle Morrell Gary & Chuck Morrell
The end of 2009 will mark some impressive milestones for our founder, Holly Morrell. Holly has been doing community service work for over 10 years and has provided free or low-cost cardiac screenings for more than 15,000 people across the country through her "heartfelt" efforts.
"My work began as a tribute to my six family members lost to heart disease but continues for all the thousands of people who are losing their loved ones to a preventable tragedy." ~ Holly Morrell Founder / Executive Director
Meet up with Holly Morrell on any given day and you'll see a young, vibrant and purpose-driven woman. What isn't apparent is the time bomb ticking inside her heart. "I was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in 2002," says Holly. "I was one of the lucky ones." Holly's story is one of triumph and tragedy. To arrive at where she is today required the courage and love of the entire Morrell clan, advances in modern medicine and her relentless pursuit for answers.
The Morrells' battle with HCM began in 1956, long before the medical community knew much about what is known today as a genetic heart disease. "I inherited my mom's eyes and my dad's predisposition to HCM," says Holly. "By the time I was conclusively diagnosed with HCM, we had lost five family members to the disease and then in 2005, my dad passed away." It was Holly's dad, Chuck Morrell, who first presented her with the idea of establishing early detection programs via nonprofit, community-based cardiac screenings.
“I saw it as a tribute to the family members we had lost. So I joined forces with my dad and started my nonprofit work in 1999. I knew in my heart I could help others because I knew what it was like to lose loved ones. Three years after I started running screening programs my participation became even more personal. In July 2002, I was conclusively diagnosed with HCM. I received an implantable defibrillator that same year and became even more passionate in my efforts to save lives" "Often times when I'm asked to speak on the subject, I am greeted with compassion and empathy. And while I'm appreciative of the kind words, I tell folks that my family is fortunate because we are now aware of our genetic make-up. When my father's 3-year-old sister died in 1956, the technology and knowledge to address HCM didn't exist. Three generations, six deaths and three survivors later, our family is smarter, stronger and healthier than ever before. That's because we now have the technology to detect, diagnose and treat HCM. My two surviving cousins and I are proof."
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Vic Sims Jr. At age 18, just one month shy of his high school graduation, Lil Vic went into sudden cardiac arrest while doing what he loved best - playing basketball. It turned out that Vic had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) or an enlarged heart, which had been undetected. His parents, Patricia and Victor Sims Sr., are dedicated to increasing public awareness around sudden cardiac arrest and promoting intervention through early detection of conditions, such as HCM, that may lead to sudden cardiac arrest.
Vic Sims Jr. Died in April 2003 at 18 years of age.
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YOU SHOULD KNOW • Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is the #1 Killer in the United States. • SCA claims the lives of approximately 450,000 Americans each year. • SCA claims more lives each year than breast cancer, lung cancer, stroke or AIDS. • Nearly 4,000 Americans under the age of 35 will die from SCA annually. • A young athlete will die every three days in the US from SCA.
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Megan Myers Megan was a beautiful, vibrant, healthy, 14 year old girl who passed away unexpectedly from Sudden Cardiac Arrest on 9/26/2007. Megan was a lifelong soccer player and began running Cross Country during her Freshman year at Dana Hills. She was a wonderful daughter, sister, and friend, whose sweet personality and sunny disposition is missed by all.
"I want to encourage those of you who have a student athlete to take advantage of this wonderful service provided by the Heartfelt Cardiac Projects. We recently lost our 14 year old daughter, Megan, to myocarditis, an inflammation of her heart which had no symptoms. It is crucial to have an EKG & Echo prior to participation in school sports. These tests are offered for a nominal donation, and will provide peace of mind to parents!" ~Gail Myers
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Kevin Hoffman Corona Del Mar High School Died September 3, 2008 at 16 years of age.
Kevin Hoffman "After losing my 16 year old son, Kevin, to sudden cardiac arrest a few short months ago, I learned of Heartfelt Cardiac Projects' cardiac screening program. I have also recently learned that had our son Kevin been screened his life could have been spared. The rest of our family has now been screened through the program and we have peace of mind knowing we are heart healthy. I would like to take this time to encourage other families to have their loved ones screened through this community service program, in order to spare another family the grief of losing a child." ~Lori Hoffman
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Heartfelt Efforts! Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is the number one killer in the United States. Heartfelt Cardiac Projects (HCP) is dedicated to saving lives from SCA through early detection, education, and increased public awareness. The echocardiogram (cardiac ultrasound) & electrocardiogram (EKG/ECG) are the best tools for detection of the risks of SCA. These tests can typically cost $1,500 and are usually not covered by insurance. Therefore, early detection is often difficult to obtain. Heartfelt Cardiac Projects provides free or low-cost cardiac screening to the public, ages five and up. Heartfelt Cardiac Projects needs your help to provide free screenings in low-income areas for the underserved. HCP also needs updated equipment and supplies to continue its life-saving efforts.
Heartfelt Fundraiser The goal of this Heartfelt fundraiser is to raise $25,000 to meet the immediate needs of securing new equipment and supplies needed to expand our screenings across the country. With your generous contribution, together, we can raise the funds needed to offer more life saving cardiac screenings to our communities. Please help today!
Please Donate On Line (Click Here) Donate by mail: Please make checks payable to PHFE Heartfelt Cardiac Projects 1278 Glenneyre #244 Laguna Beach, CA 92651 Your donation is very much appreciated and is tax deductible as a charitable contribution to the full extent permitted by law. PHFE Heartfelt Cardiac Projects Tax ID# 95-2557063
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Juliana Bohlen collapsed at 13-years-old while running laps in her physical education class at Heights Christian Middle School. Bohlen survived, thanks to quickly administered CPR and near immediate response from paramedics. She now knows she has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, commonly known as HCM. Her survival was nothing less than miraculous. Consequently, on-going cardiac screening has been provided at Heights Christian Middle School for students and community members alike.
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Heartfelt Cardiac Projects • 1278 Glenneyre #244 • Laguna Beach • CA 92651