Childhood Friends PLan Memorial Reception For Justin Marcucci

Note link for information: http://www.box.net/shared/snaj9f65sg


Hi everybody, 

Thank you everyone for the continued outpouring of love and prayers which are definitely sustaining us.

Please find below an announcement that was sent out last week by one of Justin’s friends, Lindsay LaRock, (a neighbor of ours growing up). Right after Justin passed away, and she learned of the funeral in San Jose, she decided invite others from Bow Mar South, and Littleton High School over to her house for a small get together to celebrate Justin’s life.  Matt Sheffield sent her the photo/music compilation dvd that was shown in the RS room at the chapel from the funeral, as well the as the funeral audio.

I spoke with Lindsay and we put together a tentative agenda for the get-together. Details for the time and location are in Lindsay’s email below.  So, those that can make it, great. Those who can’t, no problem.

I think this will be a great opportunity to people who were childhood friends of Justin to get together and process, celebrate, and catch up…

Justin Marcucci (whom many of us knew and loved and who grew up in Bow Mar South) passed away suddenly March 16, 2011 from Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Please join us for an evening as we celebrate Justin's life by sharing stories and memories. 

When: Saturday, April 9, 2011

Time: 4:00 - 9:00pm

Where: 5849 Snowberry Drive, Littleton, CO 80123

Please bring the following items:

1. Something to share - an appetizer or drinks.

2. A write-up of the memories you had with Justin. We will have these available for people to read and will also compile a book to send to his wife and children. You may also email it to Lindsay at lindsaylumpkin@mac.com beforehand. This is not a requirement to come though.

3. Please bring any copies of any pictures you have of Justin (if you have any). We will display these at the celebration and also send them to Justin's wife and children.

RSVP to Lindsay and help to spread the word.

Also visit justinmarcucci.blogspot.com

Sincerely,
Lindsay Lumpkin (LaRock) and Otis Moore

A Link to All things Justin Marcucci

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!! There has been so much love and good vibes sent our way and to Justin's family that we are all very grateful for friends and family like you that have all offered loving thoughts, prayers, comments, and support.

Please feel free to click on the link below and it will take you to a website where we are archiving memories, funeral audio, tribute videos, pictures, etc. If you have something you would like to add to the archive site you can contact me.

Please share the link.

Archive site with downloadable videos, pictures, etc (will continually be updated):

http://www.box.net/shared/z66e8i7ypu

How did my brother Justin Die? Answer = Sudden Cardiac Arrest

What is sudden cardiac arrest? 
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a condition in which the heartbeat stops abruptly and unexpectedly. This usually is caused by ventricular fibrillation (VF), an abnormality in the heart's electrical system. The ventricles (the two muscular chambers of the heart that pump blood) may flutter or quiver erratically (ventricular fibrillation). Consequently blood flow to the body and, most importantly, to the brain stops. The person suffering from sudden cardiac arrest will lose consciousness and die In fact, the victim is often clinically dead within 30 seconds of this event. Although their heart will continue to "flutter" and their eyes will remain open and even look like they have life in them for several minutes and even hours in some cases, they are brain dead within minutes. 

Is SCA the same as a heart attack? 
No. A heart attack is a condition in which a blood clot suddenly blocks a coronary artery, resulting in the death of the heart muscle supplied by that artery (unless the clot is opened within a few hours). Heart attack victims usually experience symptoms such as chest discomfort or pain and remain conscious. Most people who have a heart attack survive the event. Some will develop an SCA. Other people have an SCA independently from a heart attack and without warning signs. SCA results in death, is generally untreatable, and is confirmed upon autopsy.

Who is at risk for SCA? 
Most commonly people who die from SCA have an underlying cardiac condition. They have heart disease, like congestive heart failure, previous heart attacks and are older with a myriad of health problems. These are the kind of people who often die from SCA. 

However, SCA does occur in active people who are healthy and have no known medical conditions occasionally. In these patients, the cause of SCA may not ever be determined, even with an autopsy. This was true for Justin as well, a full autopsy was completed. 

Now let's talk about Justin.  Did he have a heart condition? No, his heart was healthy on autopsy. There were no signs of congenital diseases, like Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy (the condition that kills young healthy athletes). There were no signs of stenosis, dilatation, obstruction, plaques,  or ischemia. In other words Justin's heart was a healthy heart. The official diagnosis will be Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) of unknown etiology.   All of us have irregular heartbeats from time to time. Some call them palpitations, some call them skipped beats.  Patients come into the Emergency Room all the time with palpitation and skipped beats. Thankfully most of the time our hearts recognize these abnormal beats and correct for them. We might not even realize it has occurred. Unfortunately, in some individuals their heart does not recognize this abnormal beat and does not correct it, which causes the heart to go into ventricular fibrillation (VF), leading to a quick, painless brain death followed by full body death. When SCA occurs, often the person has underlying heart disease or a heart condition and this is the cause of the SCA. When SCA occurs in a healthy individual like Justin without a heart condition we are often left without any answers as to why the heart did not recognize the abnormal beat and fix it or "re-start" the regular rhythm. 

Justin died long before Stephanie heard his "snoring" and tried to awake him. The "snoring" sound was most likely agonal breathing or "death rattle" indicating Justin had been brain dead for several minutes, if not longer. There was no saving Justin. He was truly taken from this earth and went peacefully in his sleep without any knowledge of what was happening. He kissed Stephanie goodnight and that was his last memory. 

I was able to speak with the coroner before, during, and after the autopsy, and, thanks to Staci,  we have many of the medical records including the paramedic and ER run sheets, and spoke briefly with the doctors who treated Justin. I have tried to write this explanation is in a straight forward manner but as you can imagine there is nothing straight forward about losing my healthy 35 year old brother and best friend.

Please feel free to post comments or ask questions. I am happy to answer any questions or better explain for those who feel they want a better understanding. 

Sincerely,

Jared Marcucci 

Justin Marcucci, One of the all time greats!

On March 16th 2011, my brother, best friend to many, father, husband, uncle, cousin, mentor, died.