Jenny Simpson Cannot Run Again at 39 After 2 Cardiac Arrests Expose Rare Heart Condition
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Aug 22
Jenny Simpson Cannot Run Again at 39 After 2 Cardiac Arrests Expose Rare Heart Condition
3 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Aug 22
Summary
Two months after collapsing during a June 16 run in Raleigh, Jenny Simpson said doctors implanted a defibrillator and pacemaker and told her she will never run again.
ARVC — arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy — caused the cardiac event, a rare congenital condition Simpson said was uncovered when exertion disrupted electrical signals in her right ventricle.
Raleigh bystanders Ivy and Joey Pointer reached her with an AED within moments, performed CPR until first responders arrived, and helped save Simpson after she suffered a second cardiac arrest at a local hospital.
Days on life support at Duke University Medical Center left the 39-year-old three-time Olympian facing an abrupt end to the sport around which she built her life.
Colorado-based Simpson said she is recovering at home, will continue working at Fleet Feet, and is focusing on recovery and what comes next.