We’re so glad she went to see a doctor before she started playing volleyball and basketball again this season or else it would’ve been devastating.
Mia Wendt, 17, has to give up volleyball and basketball after getting diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. According to NCBI, HCM is “a condition in which the heart muscle becomes thick. The thickening makes it harder for blood to leave the heart, forcing the heart to work harder to pump blood. It is often asymmetrical, meaning one part of the heart is thicker than the other parts. The condition is usually passed down through families (inherited). It is believed to be a result of several problems (defects) with the genes that control heart muscle growth”. Symptoms include chest pain, dizziness, fainting, especially during exercise, heart failure (in some patients), high blood pressure (hypertension),light-headedness – especially with or after activity or exercise and sensation of feeling the heart beat (palpitations), shortness of breath. Click THIS to read more about HCM.
Back to Mia’s story…
At first, Mia thought she had exercise-induced asthma but a wellness check detected her condition and an MRI showed that her heart was twice the size it should have been. The 6’1 Division 1 athlete was ordered by her doctor to immediately stop playing any sport or else she’d die. She lost her full scholarship at Fairfield University in Connecticut, USA.
According to this article, “there’s no medicine for her condition but Mia had to change her lifestyle for at least the next 5 years and the confirmed diagnosis of HCM was frightening since there are often no symptoms until sudden cardiac death”.
With these changes she’s taking, Mia plans on becoming an advocate for greater awareness of HCM. She also plans on passing out fliers and even organized an HCM risk assessment form for athletes on Sept. 6 at Berks Catholic’s first home volleyball game.
You go girl!
If you want to read more about Mia’s story, click THIS.
We’re extremely glad nothing bad happened to her and that Mia is still alive knowing that something tragic could’ve happened to her if she didn’t see her doctor. This is why we remind everyone out there reading this to never hesitate nor delay seeing your medical provider whenever you feel like something is wrong with you and something doesn’t feel right. Better be safe than sorry.
(image: Reading Eagle/ maxshouse.com)
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