SaveHeart Stories
SaveHeart Stories
Podcast Description
The SaveHeart Stories podcast, hosted by Dave Fritzsche aims to shed light on the urgency to equip outdoor sporting event arenas, schools and parks with outdoor defibrillator machines in order to save lives. There are too many stories of unnecessary tragedy in sports with kids of all ages. These stories should inspire us to do something about it, so that there are no more stories to tell.
SaveHeart Stories is brought to you by your host, Dave Fritzsche, AED industry veteran and founder of SaveHeart by HeartNation. Proudly ‘Made in the USA,’ SaveHeart’s highly visible, alarmed, lighted, temperature controlled and 24x7 monitored outdoor cabinets provide immediate visibility & access to lifesaving AEDs, Stop the Bleed Kits, Narcan and other emergency supplies. They are ideal for parks, athletic fields, trails, schools & universities, marinas, business districts, and any outdoor locations where people congregate.
To learn more about how Outdoor AEDs can keep your community safer, call 312-953-6928 or email [email protected].
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast emphasizes topics such as cardiac health awareness, personal survival stories, and community advocacy for AED accessibility, with episodes that explore the importance of youth heart screenings and detailed accounts from individuals who have survived sudden cardiac arrest, including how public awareness can influence health policy.
Real Life stories of lives saved, lost, and changed saved due to Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)- the largest cause of natural death in the United States. The SaveHeart Stories podcast sheds light on how to drastically improve SCA survival rates by placing Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) everywhere people live, work, and play, training more people in basic CPR & AED use, and promoting youth heart screenings to uncover potential heart defects in teenagers.
Every year in the U.S., out-of-hospital SCA claims the lives of 356,000 people, including more than 23,000 teenagers. SCA strikes without warning and affects people from every walk of life, regardless of age, race, gender, ethnicity, or even health profile. While Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is essential to help blood flow to vital organs after an SCA event, the only real cure for SCA is an electrical shock from an AED, which the American Heart Association recommends should happen within 3 minutes. Sadly, today, less than 10% of SCA victims survive, largely because AEDs aren’t located close enough to where people are.
There is an increasing number of stories in the media about how having an AED saved a precious life, or worse, how not having an AED nearby resulted in a tragic and unnecessary death. SaveHeart Stories should inspire us to do something about it now- individually, and together- so that our stories can change from sadness to celebration- and from tragedy to triumph.
SaveHeart Stories is brought to you by your host, Dave Fritzsche, AED industry veteran and founder of SaveHeart by HeartNation. Proudly ‘Made in the USA,’ SaveHeart’s highly visible, alarmed, lighted, temperature-controlled and 24×7 monitored outdoor cabinets provide immediate visibility & access to lifesaving AEDs, Stop the Bleed Kits, Narcan, and other emergency supplies. They are ideal for parks, athletic fields & courts, trails, schools & universities, business districts, marinas, beaches, and any outdoor locations where people congregate.
To learn more about how Outdoor AEDs can keep your community safer, call 312-953-6928 or email [email protected].
No matter how hard it is, no matter how much it hurts, life goes on for those who must. Every family handles tragic loss differently. Some focus on the loss, and that is understandable. Others refuse to be silent and choose to speak up, to educate others, and to push for changes that could spare another family from walking the same road.
This episode of the SaveHeart Stories podcast focuses on a family that did the latter. Host Dave Fritzsche, founder of SaveHeart by HeartNation talks with Stephanie Kornet of the 4Alec Foundation to talk about her son Alec, a student-athlete whose life was cut short after hockey practice at just 17 years old.
The discussion explores the real-world work happening on the ground: AED placement in schools and community spaces, partnerships with organizations like Parent Heart Watch, and the impact of Ohio’s House Bill 47, requiring emergency action plans and AED access in places where kids play.
Stephanie also speaks candidly about awareness gaps, such as how often parents assume “this won’t happen to us,” and why education and confidence to act matter just as much as equipment.
Takeaways
-Sudden cardiac arrest often shows no warning signs, even in healthy student-athletes
-CPR training and AED awareness empower everyday people to act, not panic
-Ohio’s House Bill 47 is a start, but compliance and follow-through matter
-Schools, rec centers, and youth sports facilities play a critical role in preparedness
-Sharing personal stories helps break the “this won’t happen to us” mindset
-Grassroots foundations rely heavily on partnerships and community support
-Awareness without confidence still leaves gaps—education must lead to action
-Small steps taken locally can ripple outward and save lives
Chapters
00:16 Introduction:
01:02 About Alec Kornet
03:11 Mission of 4Alec Foundation
08:06 Focus on Awareness, CPR Training and AED Placements
10:27 Partnerships for Effectiveness
13:19 Learn more/Contact Stephanie
14:58 Meant To Be
16:38 Closing Thoughts
Helpful Links:
Stephanie Kornet, 4Alec Foundation: www.4Alec.org
Dave Fritzsche at SaveHeart by HeartNation: https://saveheart.life/
Disclaimer
This podcast’s information is provided for general reference and was obtained from publicly accessible sources. The Podcast Collaborative neither produces nor verifies the content, accuracy, or suitability of this podcast. Views and opinions belong solely to the podcast creators and guests.
For a complete disclaimer, please see our Full Disclaimer on the archive page. The Podcast Collaborative bears no responsibility for the podcast’s themes, language, or overall content. Listener discretion is advised. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for more details.