SEATTLE - They call it sudden death: A seemingly healthy person drops dead with no warning. Their heart stops and never starts back up.

But now there's a new way to test for this genetic condition.

Brandon Bascom has a lot to live for. He's a new father and will soon fulfill his dream of being a college music professor.

"I started playing piano when I was three years old, so I've been playing ever since," he said.

But Brandon doesn't take life for granted. He needs a defibrillator to keep his heart beating.

His father has one too -- so does his cousin -- and his aunt dropped dead from an undetected heart problem. The common thread? Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM. It causes the heart muscle to thicken

"There's no sense in being afraid, because what can you do?" Bascom said.

Now, there's something that can be done. Researchers have developed a way to test for it. Instead of waiting until symptoms appear as a teenager or adult, doctors can now do a blood test on children.

"One of our hopes with genetic testing is that we can intervene early by using medicines that make it easier on the heart to work," said Mark Russell, a doctor at the University of Michigan.

Brandon tested positive.

"It was nice knowing rather than not knowing," he said.

And even though there's a 50-percent chance he passed it on to his son, at least there will be an answer early on.

That could help find treatment to keep his heart beating.

Brandon says he'll probably wait until his son is a little older to test him.

Although it's a simple blood test, it is costly -- between $4,000 and $5,000 if there's not already a family link established. If there is, the cost drops to about $250. Insurance sometimes covers it.

As many as one in every 500 Americans have this condition, and often don't know they have it.