After the sudden death of her seemingly healthy 10-year-old son in 2004 blindsided Martha, she immersed herself in education and training relating to the prevention and treatment of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in youth.
For nearly a decade, Martha served as the Chair for the Board of Directors of Parent Heart Watch, the only national organization solely dedicated to the prevention of SCA and sudden cardiac death (SCD) in youth. Martha led the organization in the establishment of its nonprofit status and development of a vision and strategic plan that has enabled the organization to evolve into a national voice that has affected significant change.
Now as Executive Director of Parent Heart Watch, Martha continues to advocate for primary and secondary prevention strategies, namely heart screenings for early detection of conditions that may lead to SCA and the importance of being prepared in the event of a cardiac emergency. Her next challenge is to see that Parent Heart Watch’s vision to eliminate preventable deaths and disabilities from SCA in youth by 2030 is achieved.
Martha’s community involvement over the past 21 years spans to multiple municipal, county, state and national boards advocating on behalf of citizens, particularly the youth in education, health and safety.
· 2016 to Present - National Center for Fatality Review & Prevention, Advisory Committee Member
· 2015 to 2016 - Cardiac Emergency Response Plan National Task Force, Member, Writing Group, American Heart Association with 12 other national health and safety organizations
· 2014 to Present - Cardiac Safety Research Consortium, Committee Member
· 2014 to Present - Sudden Death in the Young Registry, National Advisory Committee Member
· 2012 to Present CCPRF - Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Youth Task Force, Member & Subcommittee Chair
· 2009 to Present - Orange County Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council, Member & Chairperson of CPR/AED Committee
· 2006 to 2009 - The Foundation for Orange County Public Schools, Member Board of Directors
· 2006 to 2007 - City of Ocoee Child Protection Recommendation Committee, Chairperson
· 2005 to 2007 - Count Me In! Community Engagement Initiative Steering Committee Member, Orange County Public Schools
· 2000 to 2005 Citrus Elementary School Advisory Council, Member & Chairperson
To honor her son, Sean, Martha also founded Saving Young Hearts, a Florida nonprofit organization that has been advocating for SCA prevention in youth for more than a decade. Saving Young Hearts facilitates the proper placement of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in schools and other places where youth congregate, CPR and AED training, the implementation of Emergency Response Plans and provides youth heart screenings for early detection of conditions that may lead to sudden cardiac arrest and death.
Martha has been featured in various written publications and television for her contributions to the community and children’s welfare. Martha has co-authored several research papers on sudden cardiac arrest and death in the young with leading medical experts that have been published in medical journals¹. She has also been a guest speaker at state, national and international conferences focused on youth health and safety.
Martha Lopez-Anderson is originally from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and moved to Central Florida in 1991. She has been married to her husband, Andy, for 24 years and together they have a surviving son, Alan, now 33 years old.
Publications
¹Cardiac Emergency Response Planning for Schools A Policy Statement- NASN School Nurse, August 2016
¹ Etiologies of Sudden Cardiac Death in National Collegiate Athletic Association Athletes - Circulation Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, March 2014
¹ Triggers of Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Children: A Parent Survey - Journal of the American College of Cardiology, March 2013