The Jordan Robert Mann Foundation and Athletic Testing Solutions donated a portable automated external defibrillator that can be used to respond to a cardiac emergency at the district’s soccer fields.

Jordan Robert Mann, a 2003 graduate of Shawnee Mission East, was a soccer standout who went on to play in college and the collegiate Final Four. He had a hidden heart defect that killed him at age 22.

Mann’s family established a foundation in his honor that pushes for more early heart health assessments for athletes and the availability of defibrillators at schools so that someone else’s life could be saved.

“Having AEDs on-site and people on-site trained to use them is very important, not only for the safety of the athlete, but the safety of everyone who is attending,” said Shawnee Mission School District Athletic Director Matt Johnson.

He said the district has an AED at each facility already, but it wants to add more and appreciates the donation on Mann’s behalf.

“With three soccer fields and four sets of bleachers, we decided it needed an additional AED, so we asked that the donation go to that complex,” Johnson said.

Mann’s mother was unable to attend Monday’s ceremony but told KMBC 9 News that she is dedicated to honoring her son’s memory by helping preserve the health and safety of other athletes.

http://www.kmbc.com/news/lifesaving-gift-honors-late-shawnee-mission-soccer-star/32944586