Good Morning America: Soccer Star Speaks Out 2 Months After Collapsing on Field Mid-Game
Good Morning America recently interviewed Richard W. Kim, MD, director of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery at Cedars-Sinai, about Angel City defender Savy King’s heart attack during a spring match against the Utah Royals.
As King celebrated a teammate’s goal, she gradually collapsed on the field. Players formed prayer circles while first responders rushed over to perform CPR.
Kim told Good Morning America correspondent William Reeve that he praised the first responders’ timeliness. Maintaining blood flow via CPR is crucial, as oxygen deprivation can cause permanent damage to the brain.
“I think the first responders on the field did a fantastic job of resuscitating her before there was permanent damage,” Kim said.
Kim told Reeve further testing revealed that King had an anomalous left coronary artery—a rare congenital heart condition that can cause a heart attack.
“The left coronary is the most important blood vessel in your heart, and when it's anomalous, it means that it's in a slightly different location than normal,” Kim said.
After diagnosing King, Kim and a team of surgeons performed corrective surgery.
“In Savy’s case, we created a new pathway for the blood to get to the artery, so the blood goes into her blood vessel in pretty much a normal fashion,” Kim said.
While there is no official timeline for her return, Kim said he is hopeful King will be cleared to play soccer again. In the meantime, she’s encouraging others to learn CPR and continues to support her team by attending practices.
Click here to watch the entire segment on Good Morning America.