Teen Warns Others After Doctors Ignored Symptom That Led To Her Collapsing In Class

A British teenager is urging people to listen to their bodies after experiencing "mild chest pains" that were dismissed by doctors, ultimately leading to her collapsing in class due to cardiac arrest.

Evelyn Walker, 17, from Hertfordshire, UK, described February of this year as a "normal morning" until her life took a terrifying turn. She woke up, had breakfast, and walked to school with a friend, arriving around 8:30 a.m. "I felt fine that morning. Everything was normal until I started getting chest pains,” she recalled.

The 17-year-old suddenly "began feeling nauseous" and "collapsed." "I don’t have any memories of the event. I completely blacked out. I just remember waking up in hospital a couple of days later,” she shared.

Evelyn only learned what had transpired after the incident. School staff reacted quickly, attempting CPR, with one teacher grabbing the school’s on-site defibrillator. The school’s medical officer, alerted by staff, attempted twice to restart Evelyn’s heart with shocks while she was unconscious, but to no avail.

Evelyn believes her heart stopped for five full minutes before she was stabilized and taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, where she was placed in a three-day coma.

Her mother, Jennifer, described the ordeal as the "worst moment" of her life. “I was in bed asleep having a lie-in and heard my phone going then just saw the word ‘ambulance’ on my phone,” she said. “I just thought Evelyn had bumped her head or fallen over. Then the police were on my doorstep and I just thought she was dead. It was absolutely awful.”

Jennifer, who rushed to her daughter’s side, stated that Evelyn was a “healthy, vibrant young girl” and that “nothing like this had ever happened before.”

Unheeded Warnings

Evelyn mentioned that even before her collapse, doctors were not aware of any significant underlying warning signs. The 17-year-old had previously visited a doctor due to "mild chest problems." However, medics "just put it down to physical symptoms of anxiety,” and her pains “never got investigated,” she said.

After subsequent examinations suggested that the teen might have heart issues, Evelyn now believes she may have had an underlying cardiac condition. Her cardiac arrest’s medical cause is still being investigated.

“We still don’t know if that [the chest pains] was linked,” Evelyn said. “I’m quite frustrated I was just told it was anxiety, just because I’m a young person. I’m sure if I was over 60 complaining of chest pain, they would’ve looked into it further.”

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A New Outlook and Important Message

After her collapse, Evelyn spent a month in the hospital before having an internal defibrillator installed to prevent future occurrences.

Now, Evelyn is encouraging everyone to pay attention to any symptoms they might experience. “My outlook on life has really changed,” she said. “I thought I was young and healthy and nothing like this would ever happen to me… Don’t just assume doctors are right. You know your own body better than anyone else and if you think something is off then don’t be afraid to push and get it investigated. Heart problems can affect anyone.”

Jennifer is also advocating for more people to receive CPR and AED (Automated External Defibrillator) training. She has started a Facebook page called ‘Young Hearts UK’ to help raise awareness of sudden cardiac arrest in young people.

“[Sudden cardiac arrest] is fairly rare for young people but not unheard of. In fact, 12 young people under 35 die each week in the UK from a SCA. That’s why we want people to know CPR and to know where their nearest defibrillator is,” the mom emphasized.