When you’re young, your heart occasionally goes on an emotional rollercoaster ride. It happens quickly when the math teacher asks you to come to the board. It flutters when the swarm passes you in the hallway. Things go wrong when the bio exams are handed out. But it doesn’t stop.
With Lisa it is. On a normal day at school, the then 16-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest. It seems to have been a lucky twist of fate that her life didn’t end that day. But the young woman couldn’t always think about it the way she tells FOCUS online.
Lisa suffered a cardiac arrest when she was a teenager
But from the beginning. What happened on that fateful day?
“I took the bus to school in the morning as usual and got the school day over with,” says Lisa from the Borken district (North Rhine-Westphalia). Since the bus drove very inconveniently on Fridays, she and her friend always had to hurry after school. To avoid waiting an hour, the students sprinted to the bus.
If it were up to Lisa’s memories, the “before” would have already been told at this point. She can no longer recapitulate what followed and is based only on her friend’s stories. “Shortly before we wanted to get on the bus, I said to her, ‘I’m kind of dizzy’ and then I fell over,” says the now 29-year-old.
Lisa doesn’t know what the cardiac arrest felt like at the time. A few minutes earlier, the “light went out” for her.
The fact that her heart stopped at exactly that moment was a blessing in disguise. “Resuscitation probably wouldn’t have been possible on the bus, which was very full.”
Then luck jumped to her side again – in the form of her friend, who had just completed the first aid course for her driving license with Lisa just a few weeks earlier. She immediately started cardiac pressure massage.
Her friend revived her at the bus stop – everyone else just watched
None of the numerous people standing at the bus stop reacted. “The bystander effect probably took effect,” says Lisa. A phenomenon from psychology. It says that the more people there are at an emergency, the less willing they will be to help. In the middle of the passive collective, however, a woman who observed what was happening stopped and supported Lisa’s friend in reviving her.
“My friend did a really great job. If she hadn’t intervened so quickly and courageously, I might not be here today,” says Lisa.
She consciously chooses the ambiguous formulation of courageous action. Likewise, the slightly ironic subtext that always resonates when telling her moving story. At first glance this may seem surprising. But at the same time, the subtle irony gives an idea of Lisa’s strong character and her will not to let what happened control her – even though it has already happened several times.
The student’s heart stopped three times due to a congenital heart defect
“The cardiac arrest at the bus stop was my fourth, so I was already familiar with it – to put it bluntly,” says the 29-year-old. When she was just six and seven years old, her heart stopped three times. A congenital heart defect caused by a globally unique mutation is responsible. Doctors diagnosed him when she was 14 years old.
After Lisa suffered a cardiac arrest at the bus stop, she was taken to the hospital. A defibrillator would have brought her back to life. The student only came to again the following day – early in the morning, in the intensive care unit.
“I didn’t know where I was, was totally confused and immediately tore all the cannulas, tubes and cables from my body,” she says. A nurse then called Lisa’s mother, who immediately rushed to the hospital. “She was also the first one who was able to really calm me down.”
At the heart center, Lisa was given a defibrillator
The following days in the intensive care unit blur in her memory. She was finally taken to the heart center in Bad Oeynhausen by helicopter. The doctors there inserted a defibrillator into her. She spent a week recovering from the operation in the hospital. “My goal has always been to get out of the hospital quickly because my motto is that I can get better quickly at home – everyday life gives me stability,” she says.
Around two weeks after Lisa was supposed to go home on the bus after school, she is back with her family.
After the cardiac arrest, Lisa first had to process what had happened
Survive, keep living. But several cardiac arrests change a lot in life. “It’s true that my attitude towards death has changed significantly. “I think my views and ways of dealing with it are very different from other 29-year-olds,” she says. Before that, she often ignored the topic of death and didn’t bother with the things that should be taken care of before death. “You think you still have enough time and you put it off,” says Lisa. But the view was abandoned with the cardiac arrest.
“Otherwise you often decide, or see it in films, that you live life completely differently and only pursue your dreams, but I realized that I have to process my story first.”
However, this lengthy process was not only accompanied by gratitude and joy. At the beginning the young woman simply wanted to forget everything. “It’s not the case that only the positive sides are seen. There are also negative days and they have to have their place too,” she says.
Lisa had to learn that negative feelings are also justified when processing what she has experienced. As she says herself, the years-long journey to this realization was far too long. Looking back, professional help probably would have helped her get through things quicker and better.
Today she works as a volunteer at the German Heart Foundation
“In that sense, my cardiac arrest changed my life because I know that I want to help others who are still at the beginning of their processing and want to find a positive perspective again,” says the 29-year-old. That’s why, as part of her “matter of the heart”, she is now not only a volunteer representative of the German Heart Foundation, but also a coach for those affected.
She wants to show them that “a cardiac arrest is not the end of life.” “Many fall into a hole afterwards and only see the negative things that happened to them with the cardiac arrest. Whatever it may have entailed, such as implanting a defibrillator or taking medication,” says Lisa. But despite this profound event, a lot of positive things can also be learned from it.
“I escaped death and I mean, who can say that and what’s to come?” she asks. “There must have been a reason why I was allowed to continue to be here.” She now wants to pass on this confidence to other people affected.
Survivor of four cardiac arrests shares tips for boosting heart health
The survivor of four cardiac arrests also has some advice for people who want to strengthen their heart health in advance. “The most important rule for me: listen to your heart! And I don’t just mean the physical signs. Most of the time we subconsciously sense that something is wrong with us and that our heart wants to send us signals. We shouldn’t ignore these, but rather consciously notice them and see what good we can do for ourselves.”
For the 29-year-old, this means, for example, walks with a podcast on her ears. “It brings me down, lets me relax and protects my heart,” she says.
Prevention measures not only appeal to older people. “We should pay attention to our heart health, especially at a young age,” says Lisa. “The knowledge of this and the resulting consequence of putting health first keeps us fit for a long time. And always remember – there’s always a second bus coming.”
How to strengthen your heart
Heart-healthy diet: It includes lots of vegetables, fruit, whole grain products, fish and lean meat. Avoid trans fats, saturated fats, salt and sugar as these can negatively affect your heart health. No alcohol and nicotine: Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption are both risk factors for heart disease. If you smoke, talk to your doctor about smoking cessation strategies. Avoid alcohol or limit your consumption to a moderate level. Regular exercise: Exercise helps lower your blood pressure and maintain or reduce weight. Nordic walking, cycling or swimming are suitable sporting activities. Fresh air: Spend more time outside overall. Daylight helps reduce your stress levels and strengthens your immune system. Avoiding stress: Chronic stress increases the risk of heart disease. Incorporate stress management techniques into your everyday life. This could be meditation, breathing exercises or hobbies that you enjoy. Good sleep: Getting enough sleep is important for heart health. Sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, can increase the risk of heart disease.