Waukesha teens receive EKG screenings in memory of classmate Kai Lermer

WAUKESHA, Wis. (CBS 58) – Around 200 students in Waukesha County are being screened for heart conditions on Wednesday, August 5.

The free testing is being put on in memory of a Waukesha North student who passed away last spring.

Kai Lermer passed away in April 2019 from an undiagnosed heart condition and now his loved ones are working to help prevent that from happening to another family.

An EKG helps spot irregularities in the heart. Lermer was a three-sport athlete and is remembered as a funny, loving and helpful person.

With money raised following his death, several defibrillators were purchased, some of which are now in Waukesha Police squad cars.

“We just don’t want this tragedy to happen to another family,” Lermer’s dad Michael said. “One of our goals is to do everything we can to create awareness and detect heart disease in young adults.”

Lermer’s parents said they plan on holding the EKG screening every two years which is the timeframe doctors recommend teens get tested.