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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-May 12, 2004
Contact: John Johnson or Jack Roberts
517.332.5046 or www.mhsaa.com

EAST LANSING, Mich. – May 12 – Freeland High School has been selected to receive a LIFEPAK CR Plus automated external defibrillator (AED) from Medtronic Physio-Control as part of an effort to raise awareness about the lifesaving function of AEDs.

The American Heart Association estimates as many as 7,000 children and up to 450,000 Americans die each year from sudden cardiac arrest, and recent studies show that up to 70 percent of victims survive when AEDs are accessible and used within three to four minutes.

The donation stems from the ongoing work of Auburn residents Benjamin and Jan Zurvalec to educate the public on the importance of AEDs. In October 2001, their youngest son, 12-year-old Stuart, collapsed and died of sudden cardiac arrest while trying out for the Bay City Western Middle School seventh grade basketball team. A device such as the LIFEPAK CR Plus may have helped revive Stuart in the moments after the cardiac arrest.

�Ben and I chose Freeland High School because they are a small community near us where both our friends and co-workers live,� noted Jan Zurvalec. �Currently, they do not have AEDs in any of their school buildings, but they've been trying to get funding to purchase AEDs for their schools. After Stuart's death, we worked with our Bay City school system to get them in our schools, so now we're reaching out to neighboring communities.�

Medtronic Physio-Control, based in Redmond , Wash., facilitated the donation as part of a national education initiative called LIFEPAK Heart Safe Schools, a complete package of services that integrates the components necessary to bring lifesaving AEDs to schools across the country.

As part of this program, Medtronic is making the LIFEPAK CR Plus, the same AED as the one donated to Freeland High School , available to Michigan 's high schools for a discounted price of $1,595. The unit has a list price of $2,395.

John E. �Jack� Roberts, executive director of the Michigan High School Athletic Association, commented, �We know from numerous studies about the availability of AEDs in public places that more lives can be saved if defibrillation technology and trained volunteers are available where people gather . We hope this donation helps raise awareness of the importance of AEDs. We commend Medtronic for offering the discounted price to Michigan schools, and we look forward to a time when the lifesaving devices are even more affordable during tough budget times.�

The donation of the AED to Freeland High School will take place at 9 a.m. on May 18, prior to an already scheduled awards banquet at the school. Freeland principal Bernie Maxwell, and athletic director Jeff Bell, will accept the AED from Medtronic's Kim Craig. Ben Zurvalec and Jack Roberts will also be in attendance.

Medtronic Physio-Control pioneered defibrillation technology nearly 50 years ago. With 350,000 LIFEPAK defibrillators distributed worldwide, it is the world's leading provider of external defibrillators for the treatment of sudden cardiac arrest. To find out more about AEDs and the LIFEPAK Heart Safe Solutions program, visit Medtronic's Web site at www.aedhelp.com or call 1-800-442-1142.

The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by over 1,200 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract approximately 1.6 million spectators each year.

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MEDIA ADVISORY -- Benjamin and Jan Zurvalec are available for phone interviews prior to the ceremony. Please call Andy Frushour at the MHSAA to obtain the Zurvalec's contact information.

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