Layne Helmering and her family lost their son Nicholas last year to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. A high school senior and captain of his debate team, Nicholas passed away suddenly in his sleep. In the wake of this tragic loss, Nicholas’s debate team held a fundraiser, coming together to raise awareness of HCM, a disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body.
Layne has generously donated the proceeds of the fundraiser to the WashU Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center of Excellence in honor of Nicholas. She and Clayton High School debate team coach Kimberly Zustiak presented the donation to Drs. Richard Bach and Sharon Cresci. Layne is undergoing genetic testing at the Center of Excellence, as HCM can be genetic, and is the most common form of inherited heart disease, according to the American Heart Association.