How to Survive Sudden Cardiac Death
Kaitlin Forbes takes heart health seriously. At 20 years old, she is an American Heart Association Heart Hero, who is studying to be an athletic trainer at the community college in Rhinebeck, New York. Kaitlin also helped found the Heart Safe Club in Rhinebeck, which teaches the American Heart Association Heartsaver course for Adult and Child CPR, relief of choking and use of Automated External Defibrillators or AEDs.
However, Kaitlin almost never had the opportunity to be part of the American Heart Association or even go to college, because just five years ago she collapsed on the softball field during a co-ed P.E. class.
Kaitlin's heart stopped beating.
At 15, Kaitlin was a super-athlete, competing in three varsity sports at Rhinebeck High School. "I was extremely active, in really, really good shape," says Kaitlin. "I was 15, the only things I thought about were sports, and boys, and my friends. Death was the last thing that crossed my mind." So, when the school made the announcement that they were installing an AED on campus in case of sudden cardiac death Kaitlin didn't take notice. "It was two months before I collapsed. They explained what the AED was to the students, and trained the faculty, but I thought it was just for adults or in case of emergency," she says.
Kaitlin hadn't had a pre-participation screening, just the compulsory physicals all student-athletes undergo, so there was no way to know that she would be susceptible to sudden cardiac death. She had been sick and had walking pneumonia; that coupled with acute myocarditis--or inflammation of the heart muscle--is what caused her heart to stop on the playing field.
It was the quick thinking of her P.E. teacher Ron Keefe and use of both CPR and the AED that saved Kaitlin's life. The survival rate of individuals who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is shockingly low, only about 8 percent. CPR and early defibrillation more than doubles a victim's chance of survival.
"I never even thought about the AED, but now I see signs for them everywhere. I guess you wouldn't know about them until you're affected by them," Says Kaitlin.
Fortunately, the condition was treatable, and Kaitlin can, for the most part, function at normal capacity with the help of a pacemaker.
During high school, she continued to play volleyball and softball, but she couldn't train the way she had before, and lost most of her upper body strength.
"I was told it [pacemaker] was there, but I didn't want to worry about it," Says Kaitlin, who adds she didn't want to think about what happened, and tried to live her life as if everything were normal, "I didn't want to talk about it, I didn't really understand how severe the situation had been. Not until Maggie died."
Maggie O'Malley was Kaitlin's teammate and friend. She passed away in July 2006, just one year after Kaitlin's collapse, from chronic myocarditis, a more severe form of Kaitlin's condition. Maggie went into the city with her boyfriend and got home at 2 a.m. saying she wasn't feeling well.
"I woke up randomly in the middle of the night at 3 a.m. and heard my Mom on the phone. She was talking to my coach, so I knew something was wrong," says Kaitlin. "She told me my dad was at Maggie's house and was using the AED on her. At the time I thought, 'I survived, why wouldn't Maggie?' When she died, I didn't believe it. Not until it was time for softball season. I played second base, and she played center field. When I turned around and she wasn't there I had a panic attack. I had to leave the field."
Kaitlin said it was then that the impact of what had happened to her clicked. She had been offered counseling at the time but had refused, and now Kaitlin was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.
"I would have panic attacks and think I was dying. I would check my pulse to make sure my heart was still beating. I thought my pacemaker was going to stop working," says Kaitlin.
The truth is pacemakers are extremely reliable with a fail rate of only 1 percent. When faced with the numbers Kaitlin decided not to be afraid, and decided to do something.
She, along with her mom and Maggie's mom, started the Heart Safe Club in her hometown, which helped gain Rhinebeck the distinction as a "Heart Safe Community," the first in New York. Along with her local pursuits, Kaitlin has been featured in various national campaigns to increase awareness of Sudden Cardiac Death. Currently, Kaitlin serves as a Heart Ambassador for the American Heart Association's Be the Beat campaign, which aims to create the next generation of lifesavers, and increase survival rate from cardiac arrest.
Education and training for Sudden Cardiac Death is crucial. About 800 people experience sudden cardiac arrest out of the hospital every day, and survival is slim if CPR and defibrillation do not occur in the first four to six minutes. Kaitlin's efforts are saving lives, and she hopes to continue to help promote heart safety as a future athletic trainer and teacher.
When asked how she's doing now Kaitlin says she's "doing amazing. It's opened my eyes and made me appreciate life. I'm definitely a better, stronger person, and I like the person I've become."
Kaitlin will be featured in LIVESTRONG.COM's first Health Matter's episode on Sudden Cardiac Death.
How to Survive Sudden Cardiac Death was originally published on LIVESTRONG.COM.
Learn more about becoming a Heart Hero, and the American Heart Association's "Be the Beat" campaign, visit Bethebeat.org.
To learn more about the Maggie O'Malley foundation you can visit her site.
To learn more about AED's and how to get one, visit the American Heart Association's AED Programs Q & A.
-- Krisserin Canary, editor of LIVESTRONG.COM.
