As part of Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month, News Channel 11 sat down with local cardiologist Dr. Jeffrey Schoondyke to better understand the condition that can completely blindside families.

“The key feature in Sudden Cardiac Death is usually the heart becomes involved in a very dangerous arrhythmia,” Schoondyke said. “You’ve heard of people that walk down the street and just flop over, that’s because the heart gets out of rhythm so fast and [in] such a chaotic fashion that it doesn’t pump blood.”