Friday, March 21, 2025. The day of my death and my rebirth. I was on my senior trip to Walt Disney World and on the first day there, I died in Animal Kingdom at 7:45 in the morning. But thanks to the people standing behind me at that time, I am now alive. Without them, I wouldn’t be here telling my story for everyone to hear.

On the agenda that day: Animal Kingdom then Magic Kingdom. I was so excited to wear the matching shirts that my mom made for my room. We finish breakfast, catch a bus, and head to Animal Kingdom making sure we are first in the park to get to the rides. The rope drops at 7:30. It’s like a herd of zebras running in Africa; absolute madness. Out of excitement, I skip to my favorite ride, Avatar Flight of Passage. However, I didn’t make it to Avatar. I actually don’t remember anything after breakfast.  Weird right? Turns out, at 7:45 on the dot, I died. I drop flat on my chin from a mid air skip slicing my chin open. No pulse, no heartbeat, no sign of life. My roommates frozen in fear while witnessing their friend turn purple from lack of oxygen. But, with the magic of Disney World and God by my side, the family behind me quickly sprung into action. It was two men on a family vacation. One, a doctor, the other, an EMT. Two other First Responders vacationing there also jumped in to help. Determined to save my life, they rush to ground and begin CPR, searching everywhere on me for a cause for this horrid incident. Soon the CPR gets followed by an AED. I gasp for air as I show signs of a pulse and heartbeat. Altering between gasping for breath and screaming unrecognizable words, I’m coming back to life. It’s 30 minutes before the ambulance arrives. The paramedics put me in an ambulance rushing me to the hospital. On the way there, I lost sinus rhythm. I died again in the ambulance. But the AED brings me back once again.

I arrive at the first hospital, screaming in pain from my cracked sternum due to the CPR that saved my life. I soon have to be transferred to another hospital in expectation to see a pediatric neurologist. Doctors thought it was my brain and that I had a seizure. I spent 2 days heavily sedated on a ventilator so they could do tests on me and allow my body to rest. I wake up that Sunday confused, scared, and anxious. My mom and nurses by my side as I come to and get my diagnosis. At the age of 17, I had experienced 2 episodes of Cardiac Arrest. I should have died. Many people don’t survive. But because of the amazing people behind me that day, I am alive. 

I have a heart condition that no one knew about. It’s an arrhythmia. Long QT Syndrome. A rare condition that causes my heart not to get the proper amount of ions at a certain point when it beats. It usually shows signs in young teens or people over the age of 50 and experience a cardiac event. A condition that I had no idea I had because I have never needed or had an EKG in my life.

I spent 7 days in the pediatric ICU at the second hospital. Many of the days just bled together. Not only did I experience Cardiac Arrest, but I also needed stitches in my chin, I had a major concussion, and I had what the doctors diagnosed as an inflammatory reaction in my right leg, causing horrible pain for me to walk. Everyday I asked my mom the same questions of where my shirt and shorts were and where my necklace went. I couldn’t remember for the life of me her answer. She would repeat that they cut my shirt and took my necklace off so I could get scans done. Each time I heard it, I was shocked as if it was the first time I was hearing it. I didn’t do much in the hospital. My days were a repeating cycle of sleeping, watching TV, and eating a baked potato for all of my meals during my stay.  The first solid memory that I have is when my heart sank when I heard that I needed surgery. On the 26th, I woke up with a scar on my chest and a defibrillator connected to my heart. 

This was my new normal. I was a 17 year old living with a defibrillator implant and a thick pink scar that shows I won my battle with death. All I wanted was to go home. It was almost my birthday and I just wanted to be with my friends and family when I turn 18. I didn’t want to be stuck in a bed. 

The day after my surgery I got discharged from the hospital. I still couldn’t walk so my mom had to push me in a wheelchair out of the hospital. But my hope of wanting to come home wouldn’t happen for another 4 days. My mom and I stayed at the Ronald McDonald House, a temporary home for those that are seeking medical treatments. Though it wasn’t home, the house was amazing. I got birthday cake supplies from the staff on my birthday, volunteers made the house lunches and dinners, and the room I stayed in was right next to the elevator which was nice for my wheelchair. On the 28th, my mom took me to Gatorland for my birthday. It wasn’t the most perfect 18th birthday but I appreciated it because it got me out of the Ronald McDonald House. Sunday the 30th, my mom and I went to Disney Springs so I could have a little fun at Disney. It was great. But secretly, I was nervous. The next day was my check up appointment that determined if I would go home or not. But my nerves were for nothing. My device was working perfectly and my incision was healing nicely. That night, for the first time in 11 days, I slept in my own bed. 

I was so lucky that the hospital I was at was amazing. I’m grateful for everything that they have done for me. Because of that hospital, I am able to stay alive. I’m grateful for my mom, who was by my side for all of this bumpy ride. For my dad, who handled all of the behind the scenes when it came to my return to school. For the chaperones, who took care of my friends and didn’t leave my side until my mom arrived in Florida and made sure I was recovering well. But most importantly, I am eternally grateful for the men standing behind me that day that were certified in CPR. Being CPR certified is something that can be accomplished in one afternoon. After everything happened to me, my family got CPR and First Aid certified.

North Penn offers amazing class opportunities like Emergency Care and Lifeguarding that teaches students how to save people’s lives if anyone is interested in CPR training. There are a lot of opportunities to learn how to save a life – there is no time like now to learn CPR. Thanks to those being able to do CPR, I did not die in Disney.