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Love of sports lies at heart of the matter

A closer physical exam led to an athlete's lifesaving pacemaker and the chance for her to do the things she loves.

By DOUG KATES
Published January 3, 2007

It started with what seemed to be a broken finger and ended with life-changing news.

When Nada Grant took her 14-year-old daughter Nadine to the doctor, she expected the teen to get a cast.

Instead, she was sent to a heart doctor who made a dreadful discovery - Nadine had heart disease.

The diagnosis was so upsetting, Nada couldn't even tell her husband, Keith. She dialed some numbers and let the physician break the news.

"It shook our world," said Keith Grant, 49, who is the director of Pinellas County's fleet management.

That was three years ago.

Today, Nadine is 17 and a senior at Seminole High School. Even though she was told she would never play sports again, this fall she played both varsity volleyball and soccer. She plans to attend college, possibly continue her athletic career and, she hopes, continue leading a normal life.

But unlike other student athletes, Nadine has a pacemaker. Her doctor says it's not uncommon for a child to have a pacemaker. But those who do and play sports usually swim, run or play tennis.

Nadine is taking a little more risk playing such contact sports as soccer and volleyball, says cardiologist Dr. Jorge McCormack, but at least the pacemaker gives her the chance to do what she loves to do.

"She doesn't have to slow down at all," he said.

That's good, because she doesn't plan to.

* * *

The day that pediatrician Dr. Shayne Gadea examined Nadine's finger, Nada also asked the doctor to do an athletic physical so her daughter could get ready for her freshman year of high school sports.

During the physical, Gadea heard something in Nadine's heartbeat that didn't sound right. She called it an innocent murmur.

Gadea told Nadine she needed to see a heart doctor as a precaution. After an exam and EKG, physicians escorted Nada into another room and told her that Nadine had a serious problem.

Apparently, Nadine had had a virus when she was younger, and the virus destroyed an organ called the AV node, which uses an electric current to allow the brain to communicate with the lower chamber of the heart.

When the node was destroyed, her brain could no longer tell the heart when exercise was taking place. As a result, Nadine's heart beat at a constant rate, actually slower than normal, and there was no acceleration during physical activities.

"We don't know how long she has had it," said McCormack, a cardiologist at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg. "(We) were surprised she was able to maintain excellent endurance, but there was a significant risk of something bad happening to her. She could have dropped dead at any moment."

Doctors were so shocked that Nadine, who had played sports since age 4, had been able to compete without any problems that they even ran tests on her to find out why.

They discovered that Nadine was exhausted after exercise, but she thought her fatigue was normal.

Her great physical shape made up for the heart problem, but doctors said it was only temporary. As she got older, the problem would have become more severe - not just when she played hard, but in normal life.

"She was told she would not be able to attend college without a pacemaker," said Nada, 48, who works as a legal secretary.

But Nadine didn't want to abandon her dreams. She agreed to a pacemaker, and physicians created a little pocket in one of her side muscles. The pacemaker detects physical activity, increases the pulse rate and oxygen production.

Today Nadine is almost like any normal high school student.

"When they first said pacemaker, I said absolutely not," Nadine said. "I was going to prove to them I didn't need it. Today, I forget I have a pacemaker. I forget which side it's on because it's become so natural."

* * *

What happened three years ago might have saved Nadine's life. It also shaped her plans for the future.

Nadine believes she is very lucky her heart problem was caught. She admires the doctors who helped her and has decided to study medicine herself.

She wants to raise money to fight heart disease and wants parents to become aware they need to look for little things that may not be normal with their children.

She has become a strong believer that student athletes need more than simple athletic physicals. She wants to see basic EKGs, or heart tests, become a part of every high school physical exam.

"Every time I step on a soccer field and play with my friends, I feel blessed," Nadine said. "I think, after my experience, I want to be there for someone else. I want to help other families get through similar situations."

[Last modified January 3, 2007, 07:13:18]