My mum and I recently attended a cardiac screening at Richmond Rugby. As a 17 year old academy rugby player who felt completely healthy, I never imagined anything could be wrong with my heart.
That evening I was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a condition present from birth that affects the heart’s electrical system. I was scared. Questions flooded my mind, especially about my future in rugby. It felt as though everything was about to change.
The team from Cardiac Risk in the Young were so kind that day. They made me feel so supported and cared for. I’m now under hospital care, where I’m having further tests while I wait a cardiac ablation – a relatively straightforward procedure which blocks faulty electrical signals and restores a normal heart rhythm.
To my surprise, very little has changed. I can still train every day, play rugby and go to the gym with friends. But I now understand the symptoms I’ve had since birth aren’t normal: they signal I need to rest. Learning to slow down has been harder than I expected.
I feel very luck the condition was discovered while I was still young and I’m so relived I can still play the sport I love.
I’m deeply grateful to the Richmond Heavies Foundation for providing the screening and encouraging my mum to get me screened.