Cascade High School to host heart screening for youth

Published 2:03 pm Tuesday, March 24, 2026

EVERETT — Cascade High School will host a heart screening event for local youth on April 1 that will allow them to check for serious heart conditions at no cost.

The event is organized by the Nick of Time Foundation, a Mill Creek-based nonprofit that provides heart screenings across the state.

Cardiac arrest is rare in people under 30, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. But in some cases, younger people may have genetic conditions like irregular heartbeats, or problems with the structure of the heart, that can increase the risk of cardiac arrest. (Sudden cardiac arrest is different from a heart attack — a heart attack occurs when blood flow to part of the heart is blocked, sudden cardiac arrest does not occur due to a blockage)

About half of cardiac arrests happen to people who did not know they had a heart problem, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

The Nick of Time Foundation hopes to catch undetected heart conditions in young people early. Its executive director, Darla Varrenti, founded the nonprofit after her son, Nick Varrenti, died at 16 due to sudden cardiac arrest in 2004.

“We can’t bring Nicky back, but we can help move things forward so that other kids and other families don’t experience the same thing we did,” Darla Varrenti said in a Monday interview.

The screenings — using an electrocardiogram, known as an EKG, a quick, non-invasive test — look for electrical or structural issues in hearts that wouldn’t be found in a typical sports physical, where doctors check for heart health using a stethoscope.

“That’s not good enough to be able to find the underlying things that are electrical or structural in nature that can cause sudden cardiac arrest,” Varrenti said.

Children should get screened regularly to look for potential heart complications, she said.

Those who sign up will also receive training on CPR, emergency response and how to use a portable defibrillator, a device that applies an electric charge to the heart to resume a normal heartbeat.

Cascade High School Principal Michael Takayoshi said the event would help not just students, but the larger community beyond Cascade, and allow young people to understand more about their own health.

“The ability to screen our athletes here during the school day — get them the peace of mind to feel safe about participating, or the answers to start going down a heart care journey, if that’s what needs to happen — is a great opportunity for our kids,” said Krista Bjorge, the Cascade High School athletic director and assistant principal.

Since the Nick of Time nonprofit began in 2006, it has screened over 34,000 young people, Varrenti said. It has found about 670 cases that required follow-ups, she said.

The screening is open to anyone aged 12 to 24. It will take place between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on April 1. The nonprofit provides the screenings free of charge, though a $25 donation is suggested for those who are able. About 250 people have already registered, but the nonprofit can screen hundreds more, Varrenti said.

Register online to schedule a screening: bit.ly/NoTFEKGAppt.

Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.