It was a hot, humid day in August of 2000. My sons, Sean, Brian and Brendan wanted to go to the beach so we packed a lunch, picked up their friends and headed out to the point at Plymouth Beach. The boys were playing beach olympics and having a great time while I read a book. Just before lunch Brendan came running up to me and said that something was wrong with Brian. My first thought was that he cut himself, but when I looked towards the water I saw Sean and his friends carrying an unconscious Brian to the shore. I sent Brendan to get help and the others to get my cell phone while I tried to revive Brian. He finally came to, but was still groggy when the ambulance arrived. He was taken to Jordan Hospital in Plymouth and transferred to Children's Hospital in Boston where he spent the night.

After many tests it was determined that Brian fainted due to dehydration. My husband, Gary, and I were relieved that it was nothing serious. Brian was lucky that his brothers and friends were with him when he fainted. We shudder to think of what would have happened if he had been alone in the water.

Our boys are very sports oriented. They play soccer, basketball and baseball. When they are not playing on an organized team, there is always some sort of pick-up game in our backyard. In February of 2001, Brian and Brendan had an indoor soccer game and at the start of the game, Brian fainted. We took him to a pediatric neurologist who did an EEG and ruled out seizures. Then we saw a pediatric cardiologist who thought Brian had low blood volume and told us to increase his fluid and salt intake before playing sports. We stocked up on Gatorade and hoped that this was our solution.

Unfortunately, in September Brian fainted at school while playing soccer in gym class. We took him to the pediatrician who ordered a brain MRI and scheduled him to see the neurologist again. The tests were fine, so we continued to give Brian lots of fluid and keep a close eye on him.

On December 15, 2001, the boys had a playoff soccer game at 7:20 a.m. and I asked Gary to make sure that Brian was drinking fluids, as I didn't think he looked good. They both said he was fine and they went to the bench while I went to the stands. Brian seemed to be playing fine, so I started to relax. Suddenly he slumped over and passed out. I was on the field in two seconds and knew that something was terribly wrong. Brian was unconscious for at least four minutes and the ambulance took him to Jordan Hospital and then to Children's Hospital. This was not a child needing more Gatorade. Nine-year-old boys don't typically pass out four times within 18 months.

Brian was scheduled for a stress test and echo on December 20th and was subsequently diagnosed with Long QT Syndrome by Dr. Mark Alexander. Although we were glad to get a diagnosis, we were overwhelmed by the fact that our child had a life threatening heart arrhythmia. He was put on medication immediately and we were told that he could not play competitive sports. We also learned that this condition was genetic so we all needed to be tested. Although our two other sons, Sean and Brendan (Brian's twin) never had symptoms, it turns out that all three boys have LQTS. That's a tough diagnosis for a family of athletes. Gary and I were both tested and it was determined that I have Long QT, but when we went for further testing we found that Gary also has a mild penetrance of Long QT. WOW! What are the chances that all five of us would have this? We were 5 for 5! We were overwhelmed but grateful that we now know what we are dealing with and we were all put on medication to control our heart rhythms. Our families were tested and my brother, Bob was diagnosed with Long QT. He had many concussions as a child and had fainted several times, but nobody ever put it together. He had a defibrillator implanted just a week after his diagnosis. My aunt, uncle and two of my cousins have tested positive and other family members are in the process of being tested. I could never have imagined that Brian's fainting that day on the beach would change so many lives.

We choose to look at the positives and concentrate on what the boys can do. Golf and baseball are skill sports that they already love to play. They've had to make major adjustments early in life but these are good life lessons. It is so nice that they have each other and that we all have a great support system of family and friends. I thank God every day that through Brian we found out about this condition. We feel truly fortunate to know.§