Dad on a mission to provide heart screenings for student-athletes after son's death

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Crosby father is determined to make sure every school in Texas tests athletes for heart defects after losing his 18-year-old son to sudden cardiac arrest.

Scott Stephens' son Cody was a football player who was training to attend Tarleton State University in 2012, when he died.

"I live with this every day that Cody's death was preventable. If I had just known to have the EKG test, Cody could be here with us today," Scott said.

Sudden cardiac arrest is the number one cause of death among student-athletes, aside from accidents.

"The current sports physical catches about three percent of heart problems. The stethoscope is a wonderful technology. It's 200 years old. The EKG is a computer. We're finding things you would never find with just a standard physical," Scott explained.

The heart screening takes seconds.

Districts in Texas currently do not require heart scans like EKGs. Scott has been working to change that.

He started the Cody Stephens Foundation to help students receive screenings.

Since creating the foundation, he says they find that one out of 900 kids screened needs immediate medical attention.

If your child's school doesn't provide the scan, a free heart screening will be offered on August 18 at the Crosby Community Center.

The link to register is on the Cody Stephens Foundation website.

You can also find out how to get your school district screened for free the first year by attending Congressman Gene Green's 23rd Annual Immunization Day on Saturday, August 11 at 9 a.m.