Jenny Simpson's Cardiac Arrest Survival: Lessons on AEDs and ARVC

Jenny Simpson, one of the most decorated female 1500-meter runners in history, recently shared her harrowing experience of collapsing during a community mile race in June. This incident, which led to sudden cardiac arrest and multiple resuscitations, has profoundly altered her life and perspective.

The Day Everything Changed: June 16th

On June 16th, Simpson participated in a local mile race, pacing amateur runners. After finishing the race and chatting with people, she suddenly collapsed. She had no pulse and was resuscitated with CPR and an automated external defibrillator (AED) before being rushed to the hospital.

Simpson has no memory of the entire day of June 16th. She was told that she was talking to someone, said she didn't feel well, and then collapsed. Her heart completely stopped due to an interruption in its electrical activity.

Crucially, bystanders at the race, including her boss, Joey Pointer, and his wife, Ivy, immediately recognized the situation. Joey's son, Liam, has a congenital heart condition, which led them to purchase a portable AED for his track team. This AED, along with immediate chest compressions, was instrumental in saving Simpson's life. She emphasizes that she had a 1 in 10 chance of surviving a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital.

A Spiraling Medical Crisis

After the initial resuscitation, Simpson's heart continued to experience dangerous arrhythmias. She was shocked several times on the field and received CPR for over 20 minutes. In the ambulance, she was shocked at least three more times as her heart repeatedly stopped.

Upon arrival at Rex Hospital, she went into cardiac arrest again. The repeated injuries to her heart caused her condition to spiral. Her right ventricle had a disease, and her left ventricle was not pumping effectively, leading to advanced heart failure. She was then airlifted to Duke University Hospital, a facility renowned for its cardiac specialization.

For several days, her survival was uncertain. She spent five days in the ICU, heavily sedated and on life support, with a balloon pump assisting her heart. Despite her sedation, she was animated and insistent on being involved in her care, communicating through a whiteboard. She would repeatedly ask where she was, what happened, how she could help, and commend the medical staff. This loop of questions and affirmations occurred every 30 to 40 minutes due to the memory-blocking effects of her medication.

A Dark and Violent Internal Struggle

Simpson describes her internal experience during those five days as a "very, very dark and hard and violent fight." Unlike typical near-death experiences with white lights or out-of-body observations, hers was a singular, in-body struggle. She felt like she was in a "really, really dark blacked-out room" and had to solve a puzzle to get out. This experience was deeply personal and difficult to share, as no one else in the room could relate to her internal battle.

She found herself constantly recommitting to the fight, determined not to "slip away." She acknowledges that her own fight would not have been enough without the "mercy" of others who stepped in to save her. This experience highlighted a profound surrender of control, a realization that her life was in the hands of others.

During her recovery in a step-down unit, she recognized the voices of two nurses, Claire and Dwight, who had cared for her in the ICU. She told Claire that she made her feel safe, and Claire confirmed that Simpson had written the same message on her whiteboard. These voices became intimately linked to her survival.

Shattered Expectations and a New Purpose

Simpson feels that her understanding of the world has been "shattered." Her preconceived notions of what a near-death experience would be like, especially as a person of faith, were inconsistent with the reality. This dissonance has left her with a "really big heavy block" to process and understand.

She was diagnosed with a rare, inherited heart disease called arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). This condition causes healthy heart muscle to be replaced by fatty and fibrous tissue, which doesn't properly conduct electricity. Running did not cause the disease but "revealed it." As her heart worked hard and rebuilt, the genetic mutation caused the wrong tissue to form, eventually leading to the electrical interruption that stopped her heart.

Simpson emphasizes that her foundational health and fighting spirit, honed through years of athletic training, were crucial for her survival. Her cardiologist told her, "You thought your whole life that you were training for the Olympic Games, but you've been training your whole life for June 16th."

The Future of Running and a Call to Action

Due to ARVC, elevating her heart rate is dangerous, as it causes her heart to dilate and exposes more dysfunctional tissue, increasing the risk of arrhythmias. Consequently, it is "unlikely" she will ever be able to return to running. This is a significant loss for someone whose entire life has revolved around the sport.

However, Simpson is reframing this challenge. She wants to encourage people to resist the temptation to adopt fear. While ARVC is rare, she believes it's more likely that individuals will find themselves in a position to help someone in need. She advocates for empowering people to step into courage and out of fear, particularly regarding CPR and AED use. The biggest barrier to saving lives in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests is people's fear of intervening.

She stresses that immediate CPR and AED use not only save lives but also preserve the quality of life by ensuring oxygen flow to the brain and other vital organs.

Identity, Grief, and Growth

Simpson acknowledges the trauma her collapse has caused her family and friends, which has been difficult for her to witness. She also addresses the broader discourse around endurance athletes and cardiovascular risk, clarifying that her condition is genetic and not caused by running. She hopes to educate people that foundational health and exercise provide a better fighting chance during medical events.

She is now on medication and has a pacemaker and defibrillator. She believes that "the intervention is more powerful than the ignorance," highlighting the importance of proactive health choices and medical advancements.

Simpson is in a period of profound uncertainty and grief, but also sees an opportunity for growth and evolution. She reflects on her past statements about exhausting her talent in running and feels a sense of peace that this event happened after she had already achieved so much in her career.

She is learning to navigate this new phase of life, embracing the "murkiness" and allowing herself to grieve while also cultivating gratitude. She emphasizes the importance of community and seeking help, noting that she is seeing a psychologist to process her experience.

Simpson's journey is a testament to resilience, faith, and the power of human connection in the face of life-altering challenges. She believes that "hard things built on hard things" make you better at getting through them, and that the fight is always worth it.