FENNVILLE, Mich. - On Saturday, June 2nd, you have a chance to donate life and honor Wes Leonard, a Fennville High School senior who passed away unexpectedly in 2011 on the basketball court after making the game-winning shot that sent his school to the State Regional playoffs.
Doctors determined that Leonard suffered from arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), a heart disease that causes genetic defects of the heart muscle where the cells link together. It is a common cause of sudden cardiac death.
When Leonard collapsed on the court, there was a defibrillator that could have potentially saved his life 50-feet away -- but it didn't have a working battery.
To honor Leonard and educate the importance of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), a blood drive is held every year in his honor. The drive is put on by The Wes Leonard Heart Team and The American Red Cross.
It's happening at Fennville Middle School on 1 Memorial Drive from 9 a.m. until 2:45 p.m.
For more information about the drive and how to donate, visit the Wes Leonard Heart Team Facebook Page.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the WZZM 13 app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@wzzm13.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter.