SIX OUT OF NINE DIEDThe Morrell Family

Sudden Cardiac Death in the form of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) hasstalked the Morrell family for three generations, claiming six lives and foreverhaunting those left behind.

The Morrell's legacy of loss began one day in 1956 when Chuck and his twin Garywere given heartbreaking news. Their 3-year-old sister Michelle had died in hersleep. Her young heart had simply stopped beating.

Mother, Virginia Morrell, would die of heart failure in 1963 at age 54. In 1975 Gary'sson, Kyle, 12, collapsed and was left comatose from a sudden cardiac event anddied two months later. The entire family was examined, and four were diagnosedwith HCM: Chuck, Gary, and two of Gary's children, Desiree and Mitchell. All ofthem had, unknowingly --like Kyle-- been stalked by this deadly gene their entirelives.

Unfortunately, the medical profession's understanding of this disease was minimal.Mitchell, 14, died less than a year later. Desiree, also at the age of 14, suffered suddencardiac arrest but survived and now has a son of her own, Tyler. Unfortunately,Tyler inherited the gene and at age 11 had an implanted device designed to jump-start his heart should a sudden cardiac event occur. Thankfully, the device hassuccessfully saved his life on two occasions.

Gary Morrell died as a result of HCM in 1991. Chuck Morrell received a new heartin 1995. Chuck's daughter, Holly, left a long-term career in equestrian show jumpingin 1999 to devote her fulltime attention to the cause of saving lives from SuddenCardiac Death. Just three years later she was diagnosed with HCM and received anImplantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) in July 2002. She founded and is nowthe Executive Director of Heartfelt Cardiac Projects.

Gary Morrell's other daughters, Jackie and Gina, are both free of HCM and havefamilies of their own. Chuck Morrell also has a son, Eric, who is not affected withHCM. Eric and his wife named their first-born son Kyle Mitchell Morrell in memoryof Eric's cousins lost to HCM.

Sadly, Chuck Morrell passed away in 2005, becoming the sixth member of the MorrellFamily to die from HCM. He will always be remembered as the inspiration forHolly's cardiac screenings and continuing efforts via Heartfelt Cardiac Projects.Together they spearheaded community screening efforts to spare other familiesthe grief of losing loved ones to the tragedy of Sudden Cardiac Death.

Desiree, now 45 years old, received a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) in October2008 and will soon be preparing for a heart transplant. She is a miracle and, tothe best of anyone's knowledge, she is the only person known to have lived 30-plus years after surviving a full cardiac arrest at age 14.The

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Tyler & Desiree Morrell

Virginia, Gary & Chuck Morrell

Gary & Chuck MorrellMichelle Morrell

Anita, Mitchell, Kyle,Gary, Desiree, Gina

& Jackie Morrell

The end of 2009 will mark some impressivemilestones for our founder, Holly Morrell. Hollyhas been doing community service work for over10 years and has provided free or low-costcardiac screenings for more than 15,000 peopleacross the country through her "heartfelt" efforts.

"My work began as a tribute to my sixfamily members lost to heart disease butcontinues for all the thousands of people whoare losing their loved ones to a preventabletragedy."

~ Holly MorrellFounder / Executive Director

Meet up with Holly Morrell on any given day and you'll see a young,vibrant and purpose-driven woman. What isn't apparent is the timebomb ticking inside her heart. "I was diagnosed with hypertrophiccardiomyopathy (HCM) in 2002," says Holly. "I was one of the lucky ones."Holly's story is one of triumph and tragedy. To arrive at where she istoday required the courage and love of the entire Morrell clan, advancesin modern medicine and her relentless pursuit for answers.

The Morrells' battle with HCM began in 1956, long before the medicalcommunity knew much about what is known today as a genetic heartdisease. "I inherited my mom's eyes and my dad's predisposition toHCM," says Holly. "By the time I was conclusively diagnosed with HCM,we had lost five family members to the disease and then in 2005, my dadpassed away." It was Holly's dad, Chuck Morrell, who first presented herwith the idea of establishing early detection programs via nonprofit,community-based cardiac screenings.

“I saw it as a tribute to the family members we had lost. So I joined forceswith my dad and started my nonprofit work in 1999. I knew in my heartI could help others because I knew what it was like to lose loved ones.Three years after I started running screening programs my participationbecame even more personal. In July 2002, I was conclusively diagnosedwith HCM. I received an implantable defibrillator that same year andbecame even more passionate in my efforts to save lives"

"Often times when I'm asked to speak on the subject, I am greeted withcompassion and empathy. And while I'm appreciative of the kind words,I tell folks that my family is fortunate because we are now aware of ourgenetic make-up. When my father's 3-year-old sister died in 1956, thetechnology and knowledge to address HCM didn't exist. Three generations,six deaths and three survivors later, our family is smarter, stronger andhealthier than ever before. That's because we now have the technologyto detect, diagnose and treat HCM. My two surviving cousins and I areproof."

WE NEED YOUR HELPTO PROTECT MORE LIVES!

Vic Sims Jr.At age 18, just one month shy of his high school graduation,

Lil Vic went into sudden cardiac arrest while doing what heloved best - playing basketball. It turned out that Vichad hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) or an enlargedheart, which had been undetected. His parents, Patricia andVictor Sims Sr., are dedicated to increasing public awarenessaround sudden cardiac arrest and promoting interventionthrough early detection of conditions, such as HCM, that maylead to sudden cardiac arrest.

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Vic Sims Jr. Died in April 2003 at 18 years of age.

YOU SHOULD KNOW• Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is the #1 Killer in the United States.

• SCA claims the lives of approximately 450,000 Americans each year.

• SCA claims more lives each year than breast cancer, lung cancer, stroke or AIDS.

• Nearly 4,000 Americans under the age of 35 will die from SCA annually.

• A young athlete will die every three days in the US from SCA.

WE NEED YOUR HELPTO PROTECT MORE LIVES!

Megan MyersMegan was a beautiful, vibrant, healthy, 14 yearold girl who passed away unexpectedly fromSudden Cardiac Arrest on 9/26/2007. Megan wasa lifelong soccer player and began running CrossCountry during her Freshman year at Dana Hills.She was a wonderful daughter, sister, and friend,whose sweet personality and sunny dispositionis missed by all.

"I want to encourage those of you who have a student athlete totake advantage of this wonderful service provided by the HeartfeltCardiac Projects. We recently lost our 14 year old daughter, Megan,to myocarditis, an inflammation of her heart which had no symptoms.It is crucial to have an EKG & Echo prior to participation in schoolsports. These tests are offered for a nominal donation, and willprovide peace of mind to parents!"

~Gail Myers

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"After losing my 16 year old son, Kevin, to sudden cardiac arrest a few shortmonths ago, I learned of Heartfelt Cardiac Projects' cardiac screening program.I have also recently learned that had our son Kevin been screened his life couldhave been spared. The rest of our family has now been screened through theprogram and we have peace of mind knowing we are heart healthy. I wouldlike to take this time to encourage other families to have their loved onesscreened through this community service program, in order to spare anotherfamily the grief of losing a child."

~Lori Hoffman

Kevin HoffmanCorona Del Mar High SchoolDied September 3, 2008 at 16 years of age.

Kevin Hoffman

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Heartfelt Efforts!Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is the number one killer in the UnitedStates. Heartfelt Cardiac Projects (HCP) is dedicated to saving livesfrom SCA through early detection, education, and increased publicawareness. The echocardiogram (cardiac ultrasound) & electrocar-diogram (EKG/ECG) are the best tools for detection of the risks ofSCA. These tests can typically cost $1,500 and are usually not coveredby insurance. Therefore, early detection is often difficult to obtain.

Heartfelt Cardiac Projects provides free or low-cost cardiac screeningto the public, ages five and up. Heartfelt Cardiac Projects needs yourhelp to provide free screenings in low-income areas for the under-served. HCP also needs updated equipment and supplies to continueits life-saving efforts.

Heartfelt FundraiserThe goal of this Heartfelt fundraiser is to raise $25,000 to meet theimmediate needs of securing new equipment and supplies neededto expand our screenings across the country. With your generouscontribution, together, we can raise the funds needed to offer morelife saving cardiac screenings to our communities. Please help today!

Please Donate On Line (Click Here)

Donate by mail:Please make checkspayable to PHFE Heartfelt Cardiac Projects1278 Glenneyre #244Laguna Beach, CA 92651

Your donation is very much appreciated and is tax deductible as acharitable contribution to the full extent permitted by law.PHFE Heartfelt Cardiac Projects Tax ID# 95-2557063W

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Juliana Bohlen collapsed at 13-years-oldwhile running laps in her physical educationclass at Heights Christian Middle School.

Bohlen survived, thanks to quicklyadministered CPR and near immediate responsefrom paramedics. She now knows she hashypertrophic cardiomyopathy, commonlyknown as HCM. Her survival was nothing lessthan miraculous. Consequently, on-goingcardiac screening has been provided at HeightsChristian Middle School for students andcommunity members alike.

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Heartfelt Cardiac Projects • 1278 Glenneyre #244 • Laguna Beach • CA 92651

www.heartfeltcardiacprojects.org heartfeltfundraising@gmail.com