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As an 11th grader at Fletcher High School, Marki Lyon loved all the things every 16 year-old loves. Getting her license, spending time with friends, and going to the beach were very important to her, but Marki loved something else more. With a natural talent and the dedication to succeed, she excelled in sports as a key member of Fletcher’s cross-country, track, and soccer teams. She also was a year-round elite soccer team member and a competitive runner.
A gifted young athlete without a care in the world, Marki lived like any other teen, until her heart proved differently. In September 2008, the day after running in a cross-country meet, Marki began having classic heart attack symptoms…severe chest pains, pressure, shortness of breath and numbness in her left arm. She was rushed to the emergency room where a concerned doctor referred her to Wolfson’s pediatric cardiologists.
Following an echo-cardiogram and Cardiac CT scan, Marki was diagnosed with Anomalous Origin of the Right Coronary Artery – a rare but critical congenital heart defect. Her right coronary artery was not positioned correctly and was coming from the left side of her heart. When physical activity occurred, it was difficult for her heart to pump the required amount of blood. This diagnosis is often found too late in athletes who unexpectedly die from what is known as Sudden Death Syndrome. Marki was very lucky to be alive.
On November 12, 2008, Dr. Eric Ceithaml performed open heart surgery at Wolfson Children’s Hospital to repair her congenital heart defect. Post-op, Marki spent time in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit with care around the clock.
To see Marki today, you would never know all that she has been through. Just eight weeks after surgery, Marki competed in the Gateway Conference Soccer championship where she scored one goal and one assist. Although she wasn’t in her usual high-pitched form, it was a great confidence booster. She also ran in the Gate River Run just four months after surgery. It was her slowest time ever, but no one other than Marki noticed. See Marki’s story documented http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGMj4wa6wto
Undoubtedly, Marki’s chest pain saved her life. An undetected heart condition in young athletes is a real risk and often ends in tragedy. To help avoid such tragedies, Wolfson Children’s is a lead sponsor of the Jacksonville Sports Medicine Program, and annually provides free screenings to local student-athletes to identify health risks that are exacerbated by participation in sports. In 2009, Wolfson provided over 2000 free screenings to student-athletes in hopes that any students like Marki will be identified early. |
