Maria and Paul Shanley lost their son, Mike, to sudden cardiac arrest on May 11,, 2015; the day after Mother's Day, due to an undiagnosed heart condition. He had just turned 17.
He was the youngest of six children, was active in youth sports and was an avid Patriots and Mets fan. He was an honors student and like most boys his age, loved online gaming. He was a Life Scout and was about to start his journey to Eagle, following in his brother's footsteps. Mike's life was cut short due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and a mitral valve prolapse, heart condition that can be detected through cardiac testing. Maria and Paul did not know he had this condition.
Maria has become a relentless advocate and spokesperson for the American Heart Association. She started the REMEMBER MIKE 4EVER team in 2016 and has participated every year raising over $10,000 for the American Heart Association. Her mission is to raise awareness about hypertrophic cardiomyopathy through social media and the Heart Walks, and continually educate people of the deadly heart condition that took Mike's life.
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