Media Advisory: Stanford Cardiologists to Challenge 49ers in April 24 Push-up Contest

STANFORD, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Undetected heart problems are the No. 1 killer of young athletes. Now
cardiologists at the Stanford University Medical Center have asked the San
Francisco 49ers to throw their weight behind the search for a cure.

Cardiology fellows from Stanford have challenged the 49ers to a push-up contest
to raise money for research on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic heart
condition that causes thickening of the heart muscle and can lead to sudden
death.

Stanford doctors will test their strength on April 24. Cardiologists will
compete in teams of two, with one doctor doing push-ups while the other counts.
Representing the 49ers, strength coach Mark Uyeyuma will try to beat the highest
number of push-ups performed by the cardiologists.

49ers safety Michael Lewis will be there to support the cause.

"I`m excited to be a part of this fundraising event for cardiac research," Lewis
said. "I have a heart condition called atrial fibrillation, and it`s important
to me to have research continued on all types of heart ailments. This event will
also hopefully help to open people`s eyes to the issue of heart problems in
general so people can better understand how to handle heart problems and still
live a healthy life."

Former 49er Keena Turner will emcee the event, and members of the Gold Rush
Squad will cheer on the participants.

The competition will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Dean`s Lawn,
outside of the Clark Center at 318 Campus Drive.

Admission is free and open to the public. Donations can be made online at
http://firstgiving.com/bring-it. All proceeds will go to research at the
Stanford Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center.

"Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the most common familial heart condition, and it
affects one out of every 500 people," said center director Euan Ashley, MD,
assistant professor of cardiovascular medicine. "Although medicines and surgery
can help with symptoms, we have no treatment for the underlying genetic
disorder."

The Stanford University School of Medicine consistently ranks among the nation`s
top 10 medical schools, integrating research, medical education, patient care
and community service. For more news about the school, please visit
http://mednews.stanford.edu. The medical school is part of Stanford Medicine,
which includes Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children`s
Hospital. For information about all three, please visit
http://stanfordmedicine.org/about/news.html.

Stanford University Medical Center
Tracie White, 650-723-7628 (Print Media)
traciew@stanford.edu
M.A. Malone, 650-723-6912 (Broadcast Media)
mamalone@stanford.edu

Copyright Business Wire 2009