Charity effort close to Seneca teen's heart
JACKSON TWP — Last year was already difficult for Connor Lyczek.
Then, an unimaginable loss happened.
“I didn't think it could've gotten any worse until Aug. 9,” Connor said.
That's when his uncle, Fred Dzuban, died suddenly of cardiac arrest.
Paramedics did all they could to save his uncle's life, but they couldn't.
Fred Dzuban was dead at just 53.
That terrible day stuck with Connor and when it came time for him to choose his senior project at Seneca Valley High School, his cause was clear.
Connor, a standout athlete with the Raiders, is holding a 3-on-3 basketball tournament at Graham Park in Cranberry Township on April 3 to raise money for the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association.
Senior projects at Seneca Valley are required to graduate. They can come in many forms, but the most common is a fundraiser for a charity.
The minimum goal is $500. Connor has blown by that already thanks to a GoFundMe page (www.gofundme.com/f/connors-fundraiser-for-heart-attacks) that has already raised more than $600.
“It's a cause that's pretty close to me,” Connor said.In researching cardiac arrests, Connor discovered just how difficult it is to prevent them.The SCAA instead focuses on helping survivors and family members cope with the suddenness of the event.The organization also teaches life-saving techniques like CPR and what to do if someone suspects they are about to experience a cardiac event.One thing Connor also learned is cardiac arrest is not the same thing as a heart attack.A heart attack is when blood flow to the heart is blocked, and sudden cardiac arrest is when the heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating unexpectedly.Connor is hoping his tournament will bring awareness as well as funds.“Me and my friends always do sports tournaments,” Connor said. “So I decided to do something along those lines.”Target in Cranberry Township is providing food and drinks for a concession stand on tournament day with all proceeds going to the charity.Connor is also providing custom T-shirts to each participant and a $20 gift card to each member of the winning team.Entry fee is $10 per person ($30 per team). To register, Connor asks teams to contact him on social media, namely his twitter account (@ConnorLyczek).The deadline to enter is Wednesday.Connor, who is a standout football and basketball player at Seneca Valley, said he will not be playing in the tournament.Too much to do, he said.“Plus, I'm sure if I won it would be a little suspicious,” he said, chuckling.Connor, who excelled on the football field with the Raiders as a defensive back and receiver, will play in college next season at Clarion University.Negotiating the coronavirus pandemic and all the restrictions made for a challenging end to his junior year, as well as his senior year.It also made planning his senior project difficult.“With school being in person and then online and all the contact tracing, it made it hard to plan,” Connor said. “But I'm pretty much on track.”
