In 2019, we almost lost our son, Gabriel Anderson, (Gabe), to a sudden cardiac event due to an undiagnosed congenital heart condition. Gabe had the first symptoms of a heart condition at the age of 6 while wrestling. He was taken to the doctor for rapid heart rate and shortness of breath and no medical tests preformed.

 

In 6th grade, he suffered a hard hit in football practice, and afterwards complained of headaches, loss of vision, dizziness, racing heart, and his vision would “go dark” when he stood up.

 

A medical examination and CT scan were performed and were negative for a concussion. No heart-related tests were performed. The doctor diagnosed it as a “textbook case” of a concussion, despite the lack of evidence supporting the findings.

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In January of 2019, Gabe wrestled in a tournament. At 11:30 that night, he awoke with symptoms of a heart attack. When taken to the ER, the doctor found no evidence of a heart attack at that time, but referred him to a cardiologist for follow-up.

 

The cardiologist dismissed any possibilities of a cardiac problem, refused to perform an echo-cardiogram, and stated that he could tell by looking at him that his heart was structurally fine. We immediately took him to a different cardiologist, who agreed with the first cardiologist’s findings because he looked to be in perfect health. We convinced him to order an echo-cardiogram, even though he thought it was a waste of time and was convinced no abnormalities would be found.