In a heartbeat, you could be the difference.
On April 29, 2026, I suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at 7:30 AM after a hot yoga class. My yoga teacher heard me collapse in the restroom and acted quickly to get the locked door open and call 911; she did not have a key so she quickly improvised by using a tissue pin. When she called, I was reportedly still breathing, but by the time emergency responders arrived, I was no longer breathing. The Fire Department arrived first and delivered two shocks. Austin-Travis County EMS arrived and continued, I understand that resuscitation efforts continued for approximately 53 minutes, before I was transferred successfully and placed on ECMO/ECPR care at Ascension Seton. From what I have gleaned, this is a highly difficult situation to navigate and achieve.
I am alive today, and recovering with my mind and spirit intact, because the EMS crew did not give up on me.
I want to formally recognize every dispatcher, medic, supervisor, and responding team member involved in this call. Their clinical judgment, endurance, teamwork, and calm under pressure gave me the chance to come home to my husband, my daughters, and my life. Thank you to Trevor Burrier, who initiated a call to the doctor for me to be an ECMO candidate, Daniel Webster, and Lelia Abdelhadi, all three saving me. I owe my life to them especially.
There are no words big enough for what they gave back to me. But I want them to know this: their work mattered. Their training mattered. Their refusal to stop mattered. I am living proof of it. I have no brain damage and am living my best life. I can continue to be a wife, mother, and meet my grandkids one day because of them.
My report states that I was in cardiac arrest/resuscitation for approximately 53 minutes. I was unresponsive for six days afterward, and yet I am now recovering with no known cognitive damage. I know that outcome was not accidental. It was the result of an extraordinary chain of recognition, access, defibrillation, advanced resuscitation, ECMO coordination, and continued care at Ascension Seton. Every link in this chain held.
With profound and lifelong gratitude,
9 out of 10 people who suffer cardiac arrest outside the hospital don’t survive. Most of the time, it’s because no one nearby performed CPR. But together, we can change that.
Extraordinary things happen when people take action. A small step. A simple skill. A lifesaving moment. Heart Walk brings communities together to create health and hope for every heartbeat. Every walker who joins, every dollar donated, means more people trained in CPR, more research and more lifesaving moments for everyone.
Extraordinary starts with YOU. Help me reach my goal today!