A mom’s mission: Saving kids born with hidden heart conditions

The Adam L. Thompson Foundation was created out of heartbreak—but its mission is rooted firmly in hope. Adam Thompson was just 16 years old when he died suddenly from a heart condition, a loss that forever changed his family and the community of Baltic.

In the years since, the foundation bearing his name has worked to raise awareness of pediatric heart conditions and support efforts to prevent similar tragedies. It all started one day in 2012, when Adam said he was tired and went to take a nap.

“I heard this huge bang,” said his mother, Ann Thompson. “You know something is going on. And so I went in there, and he was on the floor. And I was kind of like Adam, you got to get up, he’s my jokster, you know, but he didn’t get up.”

How does a seemingly healthy 16-year-old boy just die? An autopsy provided the answer.
Adam’s heart was 4 times the size it should have been.

“They called me the next morning, and they are like, ‘ Do you have a pen? And I said yes, and they said, “Write this word down.” And it was Hypertrophic CardioMyopathy, big ol word. And that started my journey,” said Thompson.

Ann started the Adam L Thompson Foundation. A way to turn grief into action. The organization focuses on increasing awareness of heart conditions in children and the importance of early detection.

“I am so passionate about this because there is a huge part of me that keeps wondering if this could have been prevented. and it is something that I wasn’t aware of, and it is something still to this day you don’t hear much about, but kids can have heart problems,” said Thompson.

A central part of the foundation’s work is funding and placing automated external defibrillators in schools, athletic facilities, and community spaces. The AED’s at the Sioux Empire Fair are provided by the foundation. The foundation also supports heart screenings and CPR training. For instance, the kids at the Baltic school are being trained to save lives.

“They never want another parent to have to undergo what they have gone through,” said Sheriden Lodes, the school nurse at Baltic.

Lodes also works in the cardiac unit at Sanford Hospital. She says the foundation is saving lives.

“Not only have they given us AED’s when we opened our new High School, but they have replenished batteries,” said Lodes. “And they have given us CPR mannequins for me to teach younger students how to do CPR.”

“If something happens, chances are a ten-year-old is going to jump in and do something quicker than an adult would,” said Thompson. “And that’s why I do it.”

The Adam L. Thompson Foundation is a small organization that relies on donations.

“We don’t have a lot of money, that’s for sure, but every donation is appreciated so much. And it all goes back to whoever needs it, whether it be an AED or CPR kits, it all goes back, said Thompson.

While the pain of losing Adam never disappears, Thompson hopes the message remains clear: children’s heart health matters, and awareness and preparedness can save lives.

Thompson says she wants people across Keloland to reach out if they see a need for training, AED’s, or CPR kits. She says she will find a way to help.