Her son, 16, died suddenly at football practice. Now, Staten Island mom is hosting heart screening event to save others

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — When 16-year-old Miles Kirkland-Thomas collapsed and died during a Curtis High School football practice in 2014, his parents were grief-stricken, devastated and blindsided by his death.

The 6-foot, 2-inch offensive and defensive lineman had never been sick, was always working out and was quite possibly in the best shape of his life. But in an instant, he was gone.

When his mother learned the cause of her son’s death was hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic condition where the heart muscle becomes thickened, making it harder for the heart to pump blood effectively, she immediately began researching the disorder: Why was he afflicted? What were the signs that she might have missed? But most importantly, what could she do to ensure that no other mother would ever feel her same grief?

“No parent should have to deal with the tragedy of losing their son,” noted Tanza Kirkland, Miles’ mother, who is hosting a heart screening event at Curtis High School on Sunday, June 8. “This has been such a heartbreaking experience, but if Miles’ death saves even just one life, or helps a young person become aware of their own health issues, then we will have done our job.”

The Healthy Heart Screening event, now in its 10th year, is sponsored by Richmond University Medical Center and Northwell Staten Island University Hospital. Organized by the Kirkland family, along with Curtis High School, the screening is designed to detect hidden heart conditions in youth athletes and community members — potentially saving lives.

“They will be performing EKG tests and echocardiograms,” Kirkland said, detailing two of the screenings used to see if the heart’s muscle is thicker than it should be. “There was no family history of this disorder prior to Miles’ death and if a screening such as this had been in place, he probably would still be with us today.”

Kirkland said that nurses from Curtis High School will also be on hand to take vital signs and measure blood pressure from 10 a.m. until noon. A Curtis Alumni vs. Curtis Warriors football game will follow. Suggested donation is $5, and all proceeds will go to the Miles KT Foundation, which Kirkland recently launched.

“Miles was a wonderful person. He was a helper who had a big impact during his short life,” Kirkland said of her son, who would’ve just turned 27. “He was a giant walking around with this big, kind heart. We miss him terribly, but this event and this foundation is about keeping Miles’ memory alive and preventing this from ever happening again.”