It is every parent’s worst nightmare to find out something is wrong with their child. Yet in this case, it just might be the greatest news they’ve received.

To catch heart problems in early stages, an increasing number of high schools are participating in the cardiac screening program offered by Lombard-based nonprofit Young Hearts for Life.

In the past few years, there have been many reports of young adult deaths in Illinois, primarily because of undiagnosed heart conditions. Most recently, a Naperville girl died of the H1N1 virus in late September. It then was found that an undiagnosed heart problem played a large role in her death.

Young Hearts for Life is a nonprofit under Lombard’s Midwest Heart Community Foundation, which provides free electrocardiogram screenings for high school students. The organization was founded by Dr. Joseph Marek, who said the process was not easy.

“The only tool available was an ultrasound of the heart, which was very expensive and not cost-effective,” said Marek. They attempted to screen students with this method, but it was very difficult to coordinate.

In 2004, a Neuqua Valley High School basketball player from Naperville died of a heart attack.

This prompted Marek to tirelessly search through medical research to find a preventative method that was both successful and affordable.

Six months later, he found information about electrocardiogram (ECG) testing done in Italy. After pouring over medical research again, he discovered that the ECG was the best method to fulfill his goal.

“I had an idea of a way we could do it so it wasn’t costly,” said Marek. “I figured out that we could train parents and volunteers to perform the exams.”

And that is just what he did, training more than 2,000 parents and community volunteers since the program began in 2006.

Glenbard East High School in Lombard has been participating in the student heart screenings for the past two years. The program prefers students be tested every other year, so Glenbard East will not be scanning students this year.

“We have a huge commitment to healthy living and lifestyle,” Principal Josh Chambers said. “It’s a really good benefit for the student.”

The screenings are absolutely free for students, who need only a signed permission slip. Students are screened in private during physical education classes. The exam itself takes less than three minutes.

The results are sent to the students’ parents electronically about three weeks after the test. It is estimated 2 percent of students scanned in each school are required to go to their primary care physician for further testing because of abnormal test results.

There are more than 30 participating schools and at least 30,000 students have been scanned in Illinois. The Young Hearts for Life program also is putting together a manual for other foundations or organizations across the country to implement the program successfully.