Management Advisory Board

Laura Friend

Parent Heart Watch

Laura Friend is a very proud mother and has been very involved in her children’s schools and PTA.

After Ms. Friend's oldest daughter, Sarah age 12, suffered sudden cardiac death in July 2004 from an undiagnosed heart condition, her passion and purpose has been to do her part to prevent other families from experiencing the heartache that the Friend family lives with daily. Her commitment is to educate the parents, teachers, coaches and the students about Sudden Cardiac Arrest by teaching them what the warning signs are and on how to use an AED. Ms. Friend has spoken at the Texas state school nurses conference and meets with administrators and politicians throughout Texas to help protect the children. She is also a co-founder of Parent Heart Watch. Their mission is to advocate for awareness and change. She has spoken at several medical conferences and will speak at additional conferences during 2007.

In 2005, Run for Sarah 5K was started to honor Sarah’s life. The event raised $20,000 which was donated to a non-profit organization that supports families who face HCM, the heart condition from which Sarah suffered. In 2006, the annual event funded the purchase of 20 AEDs for Texas schools. Run for Sarah has brought a community together in a very unique way and serves as a platform to raise awareness about SCA and the need for AEDs and stricter physicals.

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