Advocate Spotlight: Jaclyn Scarborough

As a mother of a young heart disease survivor, I am excited North Carolina lawmakers have the chance to pass the Smart Heart Act, which would help schools prepare to save lives during cardiac emergencies.

My son Tyler is my personal reason for advocating for the Smart Heart Act. His journey all started with a simple six-month wellness check. We were excited to see how much weight he gained, how much taller he was and ready to hear how great he looked. However, when his doctor came in and did the usual checkup things, he took longer with Tyler’s heart. It was a murmur, the sound of blood flowing through the heart, due to anything from healthy heart exertion during exercise to a diseased heart valve or other abnormality. He assured me that it was probably nothing, but referred us to a pediatric cardiologist just in case.

During our first appointment, the cardiologist asked us to sit down. My husband and I were nervous, knowing that what she was about to tell us would forever change our lives. She told us that our 6-month-old baby had Supravalvular aortic stenosis, or SVAS, a narrowing of his large blood vessel that carries blood from his heart to the rest of his body. Genetic testing confirmed that Tyler had Williams Syndrome, which is often linked to SVAS. Right before he turned two years old, Tyler he went in for open heart surgery where surgeons used a three patch technique to repair the narrowing.

Tyler is doing well now, but the reality is that our son is at a higher risk for a sudden cardiac event. We cannot change the paths we were given to go down, but HOW we go down those paths are up to us. My husband and I vowed, to use and utilize every resource out there for Tyler and other kids like him.

By advocating for the Smart Heart Act we are doing just that. This bill would give families like ours so much hope and comfort knowing that at a place where our children spend most of their days, is equipped with resources and training to give our loved one the best fighting chance if they were ever in a situation where they could need it.

Our legislators need to hear from you to pass this bill. Will you join us and ask your Senator to support the Smart Heart Act?