Husband on quest to fight 'silent killer'

Bob DeVries stood on the field at Spring Mobile Ballpark Saturday night and took a picture of people waving from the stands.

And while he didn't know their names until Saturday night, he's been spending his own money to raise awareness about a genetic disorder that for them, and millions of others, is a matter of life and death.

DeVries doesn't have sudden arrhythmia death syndrome (SADS), but his wife did. And before they ever knew she had a heart condition, it killed her. Shawn DeVries was 35 — active, vibrant and a rabid Yankees fan. The disease that killed her was treatable with medication.

Unfortunately, the symptoms are mild and often ascribed to other ailments, problems or situations.

"She'd fainted in Pittsburgh the year before, and we took her to an emergency room," said DeVries, who stopped in Salt Lake City because it is the home of the SADS Foundation. "They said she was dehydrated and gave her an IV."

After an autopsy revealed she had arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD), DeVries said he swam in a sea of what-ifs.

"I was blown away," he said. "She was very healthy."

And then there was the guilt he felt because he didn't see what even trained medical professionals missed.

"I felt like I was her husband and I was supposed to take care of my wife," he said. "That was my own guilt."

Eventually he learned from doctors that SADS is called "the silent killer" for a reason. Many doctors miss it. The symptoms are fainting or seizure during exercise, excitement or startling, and consistent unusual chest pain and/or shortness of breath during exercise.

Eventually he came to a conclusion.

"You can't 'what if' the past," he said. "You can't beat yourself up because it's over. But you can 'what if' the future. That's why we're here donating an AED to the ballpark and raising awareness. The awareness aspect is huge."

DeVries didn't set out to be an activist.

He was just a grieving husband who was having trouble finding a way to live after losing his love. The lifelong Cubs fan had purchased tickets to the National League playoffs after Chicago won the division.

"I knew they'd play either the Diamondbacks or the Dodgers, and we were living in Arizona at the time," he said. It was less than a month after Shawn's death that the Cubs ended up playing the Dodgers in Los Angeles.