Morgan
The Herma Heart Center, ranked No. 7 in the nation by Parents magazine, is one of the nation's top pediatric cardiac programs, specializing in the treatment of children. In an environment of hope and comfort, the goal is to provide compassionate, comprehensive and cutting edge care to patients and their families.
Having dinner in a restaurant at Lambeau Field was something three-year-old Morgan and her family planned for special nights out. One of these family dinners ended up being a life-saving experience for Morgan.
The family had finished their meals, and as they were getting ready to leave, Morgan ran over to get a drink from the water fountain. Morgan's father watched as she stopped and slowly slumped to the floor. He ran to her side and found her lifeless and completely blue. He yelled for someone to call 911, and he and Morgan's mom immediately started CPR. After a few rounds of CPR, a Lambeau Field employee brought over an automated external defibrillator (AED). Together, they followed the instructions, stopped CPR, and the AED delivered a shock. CPR resumed and, within moments, Morgan began screaming at the top of her lungs.
Morgan was taken to a local hospital for further tests and later transferred to Herma Heart Center at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. With no warning signs or past history of heart issues, the reason for Morgan's collapse was unknown. However, AEDs have internal memory to collect information to help doctors understand what causes the heart to stop. From the data, doctors found Morgan had a rare genetic condition that can cause a potentially fatal irregular heartbeat. Without the information from the AED, Morgan's true diagnosis may never have been discovered. A week after her collapse, pediatric surgeons at Children's Hospital placed a special defibrillator into Morgan's chest to help regulate her heartbeat.
An AED saved Morgan's life that night. Morgan's parents are thankful for the immediate response by all medical personnel and forever grateful to Project ADAM for raising awareness of the importance of AEDs in the community.
Morgan is once again an energetic little girl and shows no signs of slowing down. She is filled with life and, along with her parents, has embraced a life-long mission to share the importance of AEDs.
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