At the age of 17, my life seemed perfect. I was heading into my senior year of high school, I had a good group of friends, and most importantly, my dreams were coming true. My dream growing up was always to play basketball in college. It was something I dedicated my life to. I played […]
I first found out that my sister had Long QT when she went to a heart screening at Eric Paredes Save A Life Foundation. Once she found out, me and my mom were told that we had to be genetically tested to see if we had it too. So then my mom and I went […]
I was 22 years old when I suffered a sudden cardiac arrest during an intramural basketball game. I collapsed mid-court and I am blessed, lucky, fortunate (whatever you want to call it) that CPR and an AED were used and got my heart started again. I was diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and had an ICD […]
When initially diagnosed with Long QT Syndrome 1, I was a freshman in high school, a varsity cross country runner, a club soccer player, and an heavily involved NJROTC cadet. All of that changed when I went to a seemingly inconsequential heart screening at my high school. There, I was given an EKG and, to […]
It feels good to be around people who “get you,” have similar experiences, and connect on a unique level. Parent Heart Watch 2014 was the perfect place for young cardiac “survivors” to hit it off! A few tears and a lot of laughs were shared as we compared scars and stories. I think it was […]
My name is Natasha; I was diagnosed with Long QT Syndrome when I was 24 years old. Sometimes I feel that if it weren’t for going through some of the scariest, most traumatic events of my life; I would not be here today. When I was 10, my mother passed away in her sleep (she […]
It was the spring semester of my senior year at Gonzaga University, I was young and fit. I ate healthy food and worked out daily. But, in the second quarter of an intramural basketball game, I collapsed in the middle of the basketball court. My heart had stopped. I suffered a cardiac arrest. Court monitors […]
It is my pleasure to write this introductory piece to Connected By Hearts, created by amazing members and staff of Parent Heart Watch. In 2008 at the age of 25, I unexpectedly was diagnosed with a heart arrhythmia called Wolff Parkinson White. Up until that age, there were many warning signs to let me know […]
