“I knew something wasn't right, and the best thing to do was to sit down so that I could get the medical attention I needed,” said King, a defender for Angel City FC (ACFC).

During that infamous match, King stood up to kick a ball that was passed to her but slowly went down again. Next, everything went black. King was having a heart attack at 20.

ACFC medical team, including Cedars-Sinai physicians Tracy Zaslow, MD, primary care sports medicine specialist, and Rachel Triche, MD, orthopaedic surgeon and chief medical officer for the team, rushed the field with ACFC head athletic trainer Hollie Walusz, who performed lifesaving CPR that prevented permanent heart damage. King was transported to Cedars-Sinai, where she underwent emergency surgery to correct a heart defect she didn’t know she had.

It was a dramatic turn of events for a woman who started playing soccer at 10, declared at 12 she wanted to play professionally, and was selected with the second overall pick in the 2024 National Women's Soccer League draft at 18. A year later, she joined ACFC. 

King is one of millions of people who undergo heart surgery every year and face a long recovery.

“This is the first major injury I’ve had, so it’s been a lot of me figuring things out,” she said. “Having a huge support system has been the biggest thing and also being able to just feel all the emotions I'm feeling.”

When Cedars-Sinai cardiologist Seth Lichtenstein, MD, reviewed CT scans of King’s heart, he discovered one of the large arteries that feeds blood to the heart was showing an extremely narrow opening—like a road that was nearly blocked off.

“Her left coronary artery was so narrow that it was unable to deliver blood to the heart effectively,” Lichtenstein said.

Lichtenstein diagnosed King with an anomalous left coronary artery, a rare condition that fewer than 1% of people are born with. Most people with an anomalous artery don’t learn about their condition until they have symptoms so severe that a doctor orders imaging or when they have imaging for an unrelated reason. The type of anomaly that King had is the kind that typically requires surgery.

“This congenital lesion can be especially dangerous,” said Richard W. Kim, MD, director of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery at Cedars-Sinai. “It can lead to a heart attack, stroke, heart failure, or even sudden death.”

Kim led the team of doctors who performed the surgery, creating a new pathway for the blood to get to the artery.

Next came King’s recovery. After six weeks of physical therapy at home, King began a cardiac rehabilitation program in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai. Three days a week for three months, she exercised under the guidance of physicians and nurses while hooked up to monitors that displayed her heart rate and rhythm.

King, who projects an upbeat positivity, felt a kinship with other patients who did cardiac rehab.

“I remember talking to one woman who kept saying she was so happy to see that even after you have surgery, you can still go about life and be happy,” she said.

King is grateful that ACFC had medical experts available to resuscitate her. Cedars-Sinai is the team's official healthcare partner, and health system physicians regularly care for players and sit on the sidelines at games.

Zaslow, a sports medicine physician, said that because not all sports teams have access to doctors, it is important that adults, especially coaches, know how to perform CPR.

“In this case, we had trained personnel ready to respond, but what if something like this happens somewhere else, like a kid's soccer field or even an airport?” she said.

Recent imaging shows King’s new artery pathway is feeding her heart as it should. She’s back to working out alongside her teammates and hopeful to be playing competitively again soon.

“I had to trust the process and know that everything I'm doing is for the greater purpose of being on the field again,” she said. “Having love, support, and prayers from not just my family and friends but nationwide has really helped me get to the other side of this.”

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In an essay published in Variety, Malkin revealed that soon after covering the 2025 Academy Awards, he underwent surgery at Cedars-Sinai for an aortic aneurysm. Malkin, 55, is now back on the red carpet, feeling stronger by the day and advocating for preventive heart health to anyone who asks.

Malkin wants to observe Aortic Disease Awareness Month in September by sharing his story far and wide to encourage people with high risk factors—family history, smoking or muscle disease—to consider seeing a physician for screening.

“I've always said if I can help one person, that makes it worth it,” Malkin said.

An aortic aneurysm is a bulge in the large artery that runs through the center of the body. Aortic aneurysms are often found incidentally, as Malkin’s was. If an aneurysm grows to a certain size, it can tear or rupture—resulting in internal bleeding and even death.

“Marc’s case is an example of how you can be young and healthy and have an aneurysm,” said Dominick Megna, MD, surgical co-director of the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit and a cardiothoracic surgeon in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai.

Aneurysms are especially dangerous because they don’t usually cause symptoms.

“Aneurysms can be asymptomatic and undiagnosed until rupture, which is why they’re often referred to as a  ‘silent killer’ or ‘time bomb,’” said Ali Azizzadeh, MD, director of the Division of Vascular Surgery at Cedars-Sinai. “We encourage all patients with risk factors or family history to get screened.”

Malkin had originally made an appointment with cardiologist Erika Jones, MD, to manage his high cholesterol and track his heart health. When Jones discovered an aortic root aneurysm in Malkin’s chest, it caught everyone by surprise.

 “I was really scared,” Malkin said. “But both my cardiologist and surgeon said ‘knowledge is power.

Malkin enrolled in the Aortic Surveillance Clinic in the Smidt Heart Institute and began meeting with surgeons, nurses and cardiologists. He underwent routine imaging and screening to measure the size of his aneurysm, which was growing to the point of requiring surgery.

“When an aneurysm grows to 5.5 centimeters in men or 5 centimeters in women, patients are usually referred for surgery,” Megna said. “Some people choose to get surgery sooner to end their worry. Each patient and their care team can make treatment choices specific to their emotional and physical needs.” 

Malkin, the senior culture and events editor at Variety, was worried the surgery might put an end to the work he loves. 

“I cried,” Malkin said. “And I’ve admitted this before: I asked my surgeon if we could wait until after the Oscars.”

Malkin underwent surgery about a week after the 2025 Academy Awards and today is focused on keeping himself healthy. He works out three times a week at the cardiac rehab center at Cedars-Sinai, where nurses and physical therapists monitor his heart activity. He encourages everyone he meets—celebrities and neighbors alike—to see a cardiologist if they have a family history of heart disease or any cardiac risk factors. 

“I tell patients they won’t feel totally differently physically, but mentally they’ll know they’ve corrected something to prevent future catastrophe,” Megna said.

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