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When Mike Papale was 17, he died. That August morning in 2006, Mike, a talented high school basketball player with dreams of a collegiate career, was sitting on the bleachers at a local basketball camp where he was coaching.
Suddenly he slumped to his knees, his heart stopped. Luckily, he was given CPR by an EMT that happened to be nearby, and an automated external defibrillator (AED) was used in the ambulance to restart his heart and save his life.
Mike was eventually diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a common inherited cardiovascular disease that is the most common cause of sudden death in young athletes.
About 8 years ago, Mike, finally healthy after a second scare involving an infected implanted defibrillator, was working as a manager for the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team when he happened to strike up a conversation with two fans who had seats near the Quinnipiac bench—diehard basketball fans Tom Barton, Web Solutions CEO, and his wife Lori O’Brien, Web Solutions vice president of accounts. Themselves parents of a son who plays basketball, they were touched by Mike’s story and wanted to help him make a difference.
In 2015, Mike Papale founded In A Heartbeat, a foundation dedicated to raising money and awareness for sudden cardiac arrest and HCM, spreading the word about the importance of CPR and AEDs, and providing AEDs and emergency training to organizations.
Web Solutions developed a logo and website for the foundation, creating a clear identity and a clean, easy-to-use resource not only for showcasing In A Heartbeat’s events and advocacy efforts, but as a comprehensive source of information on CPR, sudden cardiac arrest, HCM and AED.
“Working with Web Solutions was the perfect situation for In A Heartbeat,” Mike said. “They worked closely with us on a day-to-day basis to make our website perfect. Their knowledge of advertising, marketing, and web design was crucial to the success of our website.”
"Mike and the whole Papale family epitomize the adage of making lemonade when life gives you lemons," said O'Brien. "Their story and Mike's resolve really resonated with us and we're proud to be able to support his organization."
To learn more about In A Heartbeat, visit the website at www.inaheartbeat.org.