SAN ANTONIO ā When Chase Lightfoot came off the field in the third quarter of the football game Friday night against Saint Mary's Hall in San Antonio, it should have been a moment to celebrate the makings of a win.
Instead, Lightfoot suddenly collapsed on the sideline. He would die hours later of complications of a cardiovascular condition.
While his classmates at Shadow Creek High School mourn and doctors determine the actual cause of death, a local organization is hoping to get the word out about sudden cardiac death.
SCD claimed August Koontz's life at the age of 18 in 2008. His condition was a genetic heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Koontz's parents have established August Heart, a nonprofit dedicated to providing free heart screenings to teenagers ages 14-18 in the greater San Antonio area. While this type of screening may not have determined Lightfoot's condition, it will be a first step in diagnosing a potentially deadly heart problem.
The next screening scheduled for Oct. 22, at North East Independent School District's Piper-Bass Student Center at 12002 Jones Maltsberger Road.