Till I read this this morning, I had no idea some 5,000 to 7,000 kids in the U.S. die each year from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) each year. That sucks.
But Dr. T.O. Souryal, a radio talk-show host and the head team physicial for Your Dallas Mavericks, is doing something about it: At 9 a.m. today at Medical City Dallas Hospital, the good doctor and founder of the nonprofit Texas Sports Medicine Foundation announced that TSMF is kicking off a program to make sure most, if not all, rural high schools in Texas that have athletic programs of some kind will also have their very own defibrillators. (I got one for my birthday! Well, I wanted one, anyway.) Says the release: "TSMF based its criteria for distributing defibrillators on the following: how far a school is located from emergency medical services, and whether a school has the financial resources necessary to secure medical equipment."
Says Souryal, "After providing 15 years of pro-bono medical attention to athletes at underprivileged schools, I discovered the overwhelming need for increased access to medical technology and have made it my personal mission to fulfill this need." So, good for him; sounds like a great guy, unlike another T.O. we know. Sorry I missed the announcement. Sure, it's for a good cause and all, but check out who attended the kick-off announcement: Heisman Trophy-winner, Woodrow Wilson standout and former Oakland Raider Tim Brown; ex-Atlanta Hawk and Wilmer Hutchins High School baller Spud Webb; some former Dallas Cowboy by the name of Lee Roy Jordan; and the Mantis hisself, Shawn Bradley. I know I could dunk over at least one of those guys. --Robert Wilonsky
