PEABODY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The mother of Freddy Espinal, Adell Labonte, is hoping something good can come from the death of her son.
The 17-year-old from Peabody died suddenly from cardiac arrest during wrestling practice last year.
She believes that if her son had undergone a cardiac screening like an EKG to identify heart abnormalities before being allowed to play sports, her son's death could have been prevented. "We need to turn this grief into something positive," Labonte said. "Who knows how many other families out there are going through this."
Peabody State Rep. Tom Walsh is sponsoring a bill called 'Freddy's Law' that would require high school athletes in Massachusetts to undergo cardiac tests to screen for heart conditions.
Health insurers would pay for the screenings that would be a part of the athlete's sports physical.
Rep. Walsh said mandating the screenings seems like common sense. "It seems to me it would be far less expensive to have everyone have an EKG who is playing sports, than wait until an unfortunate incident occurs," he said.
Freddy's Law would need to pass through both the House and Senate before being signed by the governor.
It also faces opposition from the state's health insurance industry, which is against new mandates on medical coverage.
WBZ NewsRadio's Kyle Bray (@KyleBrayWBZ) reports.