Staying in the Game

    Right now you’re probably wondering why I had to have surgery in the first place. When I was 2, my parents found out that I had a heart condition called SVT. It makes my heart beat really fast. Usually, only older adults have SVT. It’s very rare for a kid to have it.

    What does having SVT mean for me? Most peoples’ hearts beat at 60-100 beats per minute (bpm) when resting. My heart beats at 140 bpm when I’m just standing still. When I exercise, it can go up to 300 bpm. If I push myself too hard, I could go into cardiac arrest. 

    My parents always did their best to make sure I had a normal life. They even let me play sports, which I loved. 

    But I can’t remember a softball practice or volleyball game when I didn’t have to worry about my heart. I was always stressed about what could happen if I played too hard.

    You’re probably wondering why I had to have surgery. When I was 2, my parents found out that I had a heart condition called SVT. It makes my heart beat really fast. Usually, only older adults have SVT. It’s very rare for a kid to have it.

    What does having SVT mean for me? Most people’s hearts beat at 60-100 beats per minute, or bpm, when resting. My heart beats at 140 bpm when I’m standing still. When I exercise, it can go up to 300 bpm. If I push myself too hard, I could go into cardiac arrest.

    My parents did their best to make sure I had a normal life. They even let me play sports, which I loved.

    But I worried about my heart. I was always stressed about what could happen if I played too hard.

    Right now you’re probably wondering why I had to have surgery in the first place. When I was 2 years old, my parents found out that I had a heart condition called SVT, which makes my heart beat very quickly. Usually, only older adults have SVT. It’s very rare for a kid to have it.

    What does having SVT mean for me? Most people’s hearts beat at 60-100 beats per minute, or bpm, when resting. My heart beats at 140 bpm when I’m just standing still. When I exercise, it can go up to 300 bpm—and if I push myself too hard, I could go into cardiac arrest.

    My parents always did their best to make sure I had a normal life. They even allowed me to play sports, which I loved.

    But I can’t remember a softball practice or volleyball game when I didn’t have to worry about my heart. I was always stressed about what could happen if I played too hard.

    Over the years, we tried everything to fix my heart. By the time I was 8, I had already had two surgeries. I took different medicines, but they always stopped working.  

    Sometimes, my heart rate would skyrocket to more than 300 bpm during volleyball practice. When I was about 10, this started happening more often. I hated feeling different from everyone else on my team. I wondered: Could I ever really be a normal kid?

    That’s when my doctors recommended a different surgery. It sounded like it could change my life. 

    There was just one catch: The surgery had never been done on a kid before.

    I would be the first.

    We tried many things to fix my heart. By the time I was 8, I had already had two surgeries. I took different medicines, but they always stopped working.  

    Sometimes, my heart rate would skyrocket to more than 300 bpm during volleyball practice. When I was about 10, this started happening more often. I hated feeling different from my teammates. I wondered: Could I ever really be a normal kid?

    Then my doctors recommended a different surgery. It sounded like it could change my life.

    There was just one catch: The surgery had never been done on a kid before.

    I would be the first.

    Over the years, we tried everything to fix my heart. By the time I was 8, I had already had two surgeries. I took different medicines, but they always eventually stopped working.  

    Sometimes, my heart rate would skyrocket to more than 300 bpm during volleyball practice. When I was about 10, this started happening more frequently. I hated feeling different from everyone else on my team. I wondered if I could ever really be a normal kid.

    That’s when my doctors recommended a different surgery that sounded like it could change my life.

    There was just one catch: The surgery had never been done on a kid before.

    I would be the first.

    During this new surgery, doctors would implant a tiny monitor in my chest. It would keep track of my heart rate. When my heart beat too fast, it would send an alert to my doctors and my mom’s phone. My mom could then text me and tell me to take it easy. 

    I was excited! If I had a way to track my heart rate, I wouldn’t have to stress about it. I could focus on running after the ball instead of worrying about my heart. 

    I was hopeful that the surgery would work—but I was also terrified. Heart surgery is serious. There are many risks. But I knew this was my best chance for a normal life. So I went to the hospital, ready for the operation.

    During this new surgery, doctors would implant a tiny monitor in my chest. It would keep track of my heart rate. When my heart beat too fast, it would send an alert to my doctors and my mom’s phone. My mom could then text me and tell me to slow down.

    I was excited! If I could track my heart rate, I wouldn’t have to stress about it. I could focus on running after the ball instead.  

    I was scared too. Heart surgery is serious. There are many risks. But I knew this was my best chance for a normal life. So I decided to have the operation.

    During this new surgery, doctors would implant a tiny monitor in my chest. It would keep track of my heart rate, and it would send an alert to my doctors and my mom’s phone when my heart beat too fast. My mom could then text me and tell me to take it easy.

    If I had a way to track my heart rate, I wouldn’t have to stress about it. I could focus on running after the ball instead of worrying about my heart.  

    I was hopeful that the surgery would work—but I was also terrified, because heart surgery is serious and involves many risks. Still, I knew this was my best chance for a normal life, so I went to the hospital to have the operation.