American Heart Month: Bend mother shares how her daughter survived sudden cardiac arrest

(Update: adding video, comments from Nina's mother, Bend Fire)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Every second counts. Bend resident Mary Taft says quick CPR and the use of an AED saved her daughter's life.

In June 2022, now-Summit High student Nina Taft collapsed on the field during a middle school soccer match when she suffered sudden cardiac arrest.

"We didn't think anything of it until we heard 'player down a player down'. My husband went rushing over there right in the middle of the game, and I joined him." Nina's mother, Mary Taft, said Wednesday.

According to the Mayo Clinic, syddeb cardiac arrest (SCA) is the leading cause of death among young athletes.

Thankfully, a sports complex employee quickly retrieved an AED (automated external defibrillator), and Nina was resuscitated within minutes. By the time paramedics arrived, she was breathing again.

Her family later learned Nina had an underlying heart condition.

"She is a multi-sport athlete, has always been very active," Taft said. "Has never fainted, never suffered any shortness of breath, no dizziness."

"We had no idea that she was essentially born with a heart defect that would have eventually taken her life, had the events of that day not happened the way they did," she said.

Nina's mother is sharing her story in honor of American Heart Month, hoping to raise awareness and help save more lives. She's teamed up with Bend Fire & Rescue to start the HEARTSafe Community program locally.

"It can happen at any time to anybody, at any place. So the more that people are aware and know what to do, survival goes up," said Drew Norris, deputy chief of EMS for Bend Fire.

Bend Fire offers monthly CPR and AED training events for the community. They encourage everyone to also have the PulsePoint app on their phone.

"If there's a sudden cardiac arrest within a quarter-mile of a public place and you have that app downloaded, it'll give you directions to go start CPR," Norris said.

Winter can be particularly risky for people with heart conditions. Heart attack hospitalizations often rise after cold spells, according to the American Heart Association.

If you witness someone having an attack, don’t hesitate to take action. It could be the difference between life and death.

"There's good Samaritan laws in our country as well," Taft said. "It protects any individual who's attempting to save someone's life."