From collapse to comeback: Savy King returns after cardiac episode with renewed spirit, commitment to advocacy
CBSN
King returns to NWSL with a new outlook on life and a new non-profit to help families who have suffered through cardiac events
With NWSL preseason in full swing, a slew of comeback player story arcs are unfolding ahead of the new campaign. For Angel City defender Savy King, her return to the pitch follows a very scary, public moment that kept her on the sidelines for months and thankfully was not worse -- a cardiac episode on May 9 of last year that required immediate medical attention in the middle of a regular-season NWSL game.
The 20-year-old defender had suffered a form of heart attack due to a rare congenital heart abnormality she was born with, an anomalous left coronary artery. The condition shifts the heart's most critical blood vessel to a slightly different location than normal, disrupting blood flow. Now, nearly nine months later, King is back in preseason camps after recovering from the medical emergency, which required, in the moment, life-saving care and surgery.
In a very frightening moment in front of a stadium full of fans, teammates, colleagues, and viewers tuning in to watch a game, King has used the time away to navigate her recovery with openness and transparency.
"I think that it's definitely been something that I've kind of had to adjust to," King said about managing a life-altering moment at a young age.
"The first question I asked once I knew what happened to me was, if am I going to be able to play soccer again. Looking at it, being 20 years old, I still have a lot of career ahead of me and a lot that I still want to accomplish. So, in my head, unless [doctors] told me you're not gonna be able to play again, there was nothing that was gonna stop me from getting back out there onto the field. And I think it's important for people to see that. Maybe people don't have injuries that are similar, per se, but any injury in general, to just see that you can come back and you can be stronger, and you can go through something like that, and it's your approach is what matters the most."
