Michigan high school student-athlete survives near-death experience, encourages teens to get heart screenings

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – A high school athlete from Memphis, Michigan, is sharing his near-death experience to raise awareness for a potentially life-saving screening.

Alexander Bowerson's journey over the last few months is a stark reminder that life can change instantly. 

"I did football, baseball, wrestling, and didn't really have much symptoms. I never really thought anything was wrong until it happened," Bowerson said. 

During wrestling practice, the 18-year-old collapsed.

"We started warming up. I was feeling great, a normal day. And then I got a tight pain in my chest and probably about 10 seconds later hit the floor," Bowerson said. 

A coach revived Bowerson using CPR and a shock from an AED before paramedics arrived. 

At the hospital, doctors told Bowerson he had a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

"It can lead to various changes in the heart, including thickening of the septum, thickening of the left ventricle, and it can cause things from heart failure to sudden cardiac arrest, which is what I experienced," Bowerson said. 

Now Bowerson, an aspiring cardiologist, urges other teens to undergo a heart screening.

"So sometimes there isn't symptoms that help predict that there's going to be a problem. And when you don't have further testing beyond just listening for a murmur, you might not know that there's an issue until it's too late," Jennifer Shea, program manager of the Beaumont Student Heart Check program, said.  

Since 2007 they've screened over 20,000 children for free.

"So during a screening, a child gets their blood pressure checked, they learn how to do hands-only CPR and how to use an AED. And then, they meet with one of our cardiologists, and they get an EKG and echocardiogram. And the doctor goes over their health history and does a quick cardiac physical with them," Shea said.

So far, Shea says 227 children have been diagnosed with a significant heart condition that could lead to sudden cardiac arrest.

"Go get it done because you could have little or no symptoms, and something is still wrong," Bowerson said.

The next screening is on August 5 at Cass Tech High School in Detroit.

To register, visit: https://www.beaumont.org/services/heart-vascular/heart-centers/student-heart-check/upcoming-dates