ABC 7 Newss
by Jay Korff
VIDEO
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. (7News) — For as long as Hailey Yentz can remember, her lungs and legs have placed her in elite company as a competitive distance runner.
Hailey was awarded all-state honors at Patriot High School in Prince William County, leading to a track scholarship at East Carolina University.
“The more I find out about this condition, the more I realize that exercise potentially or did kill me,” said Hailey from her family home in Prince William County, Virginia.
What Hailey didn’t know until earlier this year is that she has a rare genetic condition called ARVC: a disease that weakens the heart muscle.
When a person is experiencing sudden cardiac arrest, an AED can analyze the heart’s rhythm and deliver an electrical shock to help the heart start pumping again.
“I could not believe, I still cannot believe, that she had cardiac arrest,” said Stacy Yentz, Hailey’s mother.
Back in February, Hailey unexpectedly collapsed while working out on campus. She had no pulse for 10 agonizing minutes.
Hailey said, “If there was no AED (Automated External Defibrillator), then I probably would not be here today.”
Stacy, added, “I think the only reason she is here is she was in the right place at the right time with the right people who knew what to do.”
“When you are in these types of situations, your chance of survival is pretty low, so she was very fortunate.”
Nate Clark, Assistant Athletic Director for Medical Services at ECU, along with two athletic trainers, performed CPR. With an AED, they shocked Hailey three times to try and save her life.
“It was very emotional. There were some tears. The staff was hopeful,” added Clark.
EMTs rushed Hailey to the hospital. With a fourth AED shock, they brought her back.
Hailey Yentz. (Photo provided by the Yentz family)
“I’m very thankful to be here, thankful to God for not sending me away yet,” said Hailey at the hospital.
“’Did I die?'” Stacey recalled Hailey asking. “And I kept saying, ‘No, honey. You are here. You didn’t die.’ It wasn’t until – I don’t think even I understood until the cardiologist said, ‘You died.’ And the more you say it, the more you come to terms with it.”
Since coming home, the ECU community has showered Hailey with support. Just this week, the university honored her with a prestigious award recognizing her resilience and commitment to excellence.
Hailey Yentz received the East Carolina University athletic department’s annual PRIDE award for her perseverance and resiliency. (Photo by Steven Sepulveda).
But there remains a somber side to her story.
She now lives with a pacemaker and can never run again due to the deteriorating condition of her heart.
“I remember just breaking down crying like ‘I can’t run anymore.’ Being an athlete your whole life, it becomes the identity piece of who you are,” said Hailey.
She added, “It’s definitely just heartbreaking, I would say, no pun intended.”
With a strong sense of humor and sense of self, Hailey now dedicates much of her time to the chance of saving someone else’s life. She is encouraging others to get CPR certified and to learn how to operate an AED.
Hailey concluded, “Life is precious. Just be grateful for every moment because it can be taken away from you in an instant.”
“I got her back. I got her back,” her mother concluded with a laugh.
Hailey Yentz graduates on May 9, after which she’s going to work – get this – in the news business as a multi-media journalist. We are so rooting for you, Hailey!
