Project ADAM began in 1999 in Wisconsin after the death of Adam Lemel, who was just 17-years-old when he collapsed and died while playing basketball. Adam suffered a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), in which ventricular fibrillation occurred, a condition in which the ventricles cannot pump blood into the body. Defibrillation, or an AED, could have saved his life. Adam’s parents, Patty and Joe, teamed up with Children’s Wisconsin to create Project ADAM.
While sudden cardiac arrest is uncommon in young people, it sadly does happen. And it’s exactly that — sudden and unexpected.