Chilling new details of Jenny Simpson's cardiac arrest provide firsthand POV
The U.S. Olympian has shed new light on the most fateful days of her life.
It's not uncommon for professional athletes to undergo traumatic medical episodes, but going through a cardiac arrest is something that can truly never be seen coming - for anyone.
Jenny Simpson , a world champion distance runner who took part in the 2016 Rio Olympics , was one of the unfortunate ones who had to experience that. The Athletic recently delved deep into her episode. It happened one month ago, on June 16 , during a local event. Simpson took part in a short one-mile run with a group of eighth graders.
Everything was going normally, until she collapsed on the infield of the track following the run . Luckily for Simpson, there were physicians and physician assistants in the stands that day. Dr. Joey Pointer began administering CPR , before they were able to find an automated external defibrillator (AED) that his family had purchased for his son's track team.
Jenny Simpson was diagnosed with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy
But the AED wasn't enough to return her heart to a normal rhythm. Apparently, it wasn't a heart attack. After a few days on a ventilator, Simpson began to stabilize . And doctors found out what had gone wrong with her on that fateful day.
The Duke doctors found Simpson a whiteboard to write on, and told her she had an extremely rare genetic condition called arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, or ARVC. Like any muscle, a healthy heart suffers damage and repairs itself each time it is stressed. In people with ARVC, however, scar tissue from that stress can’t conduct electricity properly. That makes them more vulnerable to cardiac misfires, where electricity shoots in the wrong direction and causes an arrhythmia. In many cases, their hearts also thicken beyond normal.
Unfortunately, Simpson won't be able to run again . It's simply too risky given her condition, especially now that she's living " with a pacemaker and an implanted defibrillator that will shock her if she has trouble ". She can feel "the box in her chest every morning and is reminded of her ordeal" .
The silver lining, obviously, is that Simpson is alive. If it weren't for those who were in the right place at the right time on the day disaster struck, that wouldn't be the case.
