About Hailey's Heroes - Guardians of the Heart

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On February 10, 2025, my life changed forever.

It started as a normal day. I was cross training in the gym when I suddenly felt dizzy and saw black spots. I stopped, hydrated, and went home, thinking it was just fatigue. Later that afternoon, during weight training with the ECU indoor track team, everything shifted. In the middle of my second set of Romanian deadlifts, I felt weak and collapsed.

My teammate Claire rushed to my side. I was bent over, calling her name—and then everything went black.

Claire immediately called for help. My coach and athletic trainers arrived quickly. Realizing I was non-responsive and not breathing, they began CPR. Claire retrieved the AED while my coach called 911. My trainers performed CPR for 10 minutes, shocking me three times with the AED. When EMTs arrived, they continued compressions and delivered one final shock that brought me back. My heart was cardioverted into sinus rhythm, and I was stabilized enough to be transported to ECU Health Hospital.

In the trauma center, doctors and nurses worked tirelessly for two hours to stabilize me. I underwent a CT scan, EKGs every four hours, an echocardiogram, and a cardiac MRI. The diagnosis: Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC)—a rare hereditary condition that can cause sudden cardiac death in young, healthy individuals.

On February 13, I had surgery to implant a pacemaker and internal cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in my chest. My heart is now paced at 80 beats per minute to prevent arrhythmias caused by a prolonged QT interval. I take medications daily to regulate my heart and maintain electrolyte balance.

I can no longer run. My athletic career ended that day. But I can walk, swim, do yoga, and golf. I’ve learned to embrace a new rhythm—one that prioritizes heart health and honors the miracle of survival.

This experience has inspired Hailey’s Heroes – Guardians of the Heart, a movement to raise awareness about ARVC, CPR training, and the life-saving power of AEDs. My story is a reminder that heroes aren’t just found in comic books—they’re teammates, trainers, EMTs, and medical professionals who act swiftly and selflessly in moments that matter most.