The Bailey Family's Story

The Bailey Family's Story

On November 5, 2023, after attending a WSU football game with friends in Pullman, Jake Bailey passed away unexpectedly due to an undiagnosed heart condition, also known as Sudden Cardiac Arrest. He was 24 years old.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is the sudden loss of heart activity due to an irregular heart rhythm. It’s estimated that SCA affects between 6,000 and 8,000 young people each year, and only about one in 10 survive, as reported by the American Heart Association.

Jake’s dad, Mike Bailey, is the Fire Chief for the Snoqualmie Fire Department. “We’d like to thank his friends who were with him, as well as the WSU Police Department, Pullman Police and Fire Department for the extraordinary efforts they took to try and save his life. We are eternally grateful for those who cared for Jake that evening,” said Mike.

Jake graduated from WSU in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and minors in Criminal Justice and Biochemistry. After graduation, he moved to Spokane and began working at ALK Source Materials, a pharmaceutical company. Jake loved LEGO building sets throughout his childhood and adult life, often receiving them for birthday and Christmas gifts. 

To commemorate the anniversary of his passing, his mom, Stephanie, created an Amazon Wish List and put out a call to friends and family to collect LEGO sets to donate to organizations in their hometown of North Bend, WA and Pullman, WA, in Jake’s memory. The response was overwhelming; to date, the family has received almost 100 LEGO sets. The Baileys donated 35 sets to Pullman Regional Hospital, where Jake was cared for the night of his passing. Other sets will be donated to Pullman Child Welfare in conjunction with the Pullman Fire Department.

The Baileys met at WSU in the 90s when Mike was a student firefighter and Stephanie was a lifeguard. “We’ve been big WSU supporters since then. Every year, we drag the trailer over to attend games, and our kids grew up visiting Pullman. Pullman is definitely our happy place…even still,” says Mike. The Baileys’ middle daughter is currently a freshman at WSU.

“Pullman Regional Hospital is so grateful for the donation of LEGO sets and plans to donate them to sick children who visit the Emergency Department,” said Stephanie Knewbow, Director of the Pullman Regional Hospital Emergency Department. “It’s so beautiful that this family wants to do something generous in honor of a tragedy.”