BARBERTON, Ohio — Autumn Boerstler and her mother, Elizabeth Meanyhan, remember their worst nightmare that turned reality almost one year ago.
“When I was in that hospital and like my heart rate, like, shot all the way up, my mom was like, right beside me. She looked over and I saw that pink look on her face and…I was like, hey, mom, it's okay. I'll be fine,” said Boerstler.
The now 17-year-old says she is still thankful to the Barberton first responders, who arrived at Boerstler’s home that day in May.
In just two minutes, their tactics saved her life after an arrhythmia heart attack, caused by her SVT diagnosis, before reaching the hospital.
“I just don't want to see her go through something like that again,” said Meanyhan.
Yet, a similar nightmare replayed just weeks ago.
As Meanyhan explained, “she started having the same symptoms as before. Autumn recalled feeling the same flutter in her heart as she did last May. Rather this time, she was at a friend’s house."
She said she immediately called her dad, who advised her to shock and reset her body using ice-cold water. While first responders were not called, Meanyhan says Boerstler did go back to the hospital.
“They did recordings on her. We're just waiting on those to come back, but for the most part, the doctor said that everything looks reassuring.”
Despite the concern with not knowing when an attack will happen or how long it will last, Boerstler says she feels confident and is pushing forward. She and her mother are looking at the light at the end of the tunnel. Now overcoming her health and failing grades, Boerstler’s exhausting battle is being rewarded with acceptance into the University of Akron this fall, where she’ll study inclusive teaching.
"She has plans. She's finally getting back on track in life. She's doing great in school this year. She's, you know, just really back on top of everything,” said Meanyhan.
Though her doctors will be close to campus at Akron Children’s Hospital, Boerstler’s doctor prescribed her a mobile EKG app to monitor her heart rate on the go. There are also plans to educate her teacher and roommate about SVT so they know what to do in case something happens.
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