Nine years ago I was a three-season athlete in high school, involved in soccer, basketball, and track and field with high hopes of one day competing in Division I athletics. I was the first player on the field and the last to leave practice every day. I lived and breathed sports; it was truly my passion. My basketball coach once told me, “Michaela, you can coach a player to have skills, but not to have heart. You are a great player because you have all the heart in the world.” I attained 11 Varsity letters during high school, set track and field records that still hold today, and captained all three sports.
During my sophomore year of high school, I collapsed and almost became unconscious at the finish line to the biggest track race of my life. I was initially diagnosed as hypoglycemic, something the doctors felt might also explain the fainting I used to experience when I had to have a needle or shot. Soon after this diagnosis, my nurse practitioner noticed a heart murmur never detected before during a routine physical. She referred me to a local cardiologist to have it checked out. The cardiologist found nothing significant outside of my mitral valve prolapsed, a murmur which many people have, but with which most have no significant issues. The cardiologist, however, recommended I see an Electrophysiologist in Boston, just in case.
My parents dragged me to the appointment that day. I would have rather been shooting some hoops. The specialist took one look at my Electrocardiogram and told me he was neither worried about my hypoglycemia nor my murmur. He said, however, that my ECG was abnormal. I was borderline for a life-threatening heart condition called LongQT Syndrome, and I would have to sit on the sidelines while genetic testing was done.
At 17 years old, my world as I knew it came crashing down. Genetic testing confirmed I had LQTS, and I would have to live my life without the one thing I had thought most defined me: Sports.
No more playing basketball until the streetlights came on. No more racing my friends on the track. No more hopes for Division I soccer. No more dreams coming true, the dreams of the little girl who wanted nothing more than to compete for the rest of her life.
One month before entering college, I had my first Internal Cardiac Defibrillator (ICD) implanted inside my chest to keep me safe and free me from physical restrictions. This device monitors my heart at all times and delivers an electrical shock if my heart were to stop beating from the arrhythmia that LongQT is prone to cause.
It was a very confusing and emotional time in my life, but I knew I was lucky to be alive. While inhibited from competing in athletics, I took up the Miss America program as my new form of competition…and if you had known me then, you would understand I was the least likely beauty contestant ever. Ever since I could walk, I would’ve rolled around in the dirt and beat up the boys rather than wear a dress or brush my hair.
I was crowned Miss Massachusetts in 2006. Advocation, education, and legislation for heart disease have become my passion, and is my mission to help save lives. I am a national spokesperson for the American Heart Association, Parent Heart Watch, and the SADS Foundation, and an international spokesperson for Heartbeat International. I promote the importance of education, including knowing about symptoms (especially syncope) that should never be taken likely, understanding the importance of knowing your family medical history, and recognizing the support and research being done by amazing organizations.
My story is meant for many reasons. It is one to encourage everyone to recognize and appreciate both their positive qualities and shortcomings, while continuing forward in their lives no matter the obstacles. I never thought I would be in the position that I am in today, but in the end, I would not change any of my history because it has made me into a woman I am proud to be.
Please visit me at www.michaelagagne.com to learn more about my story and the amazing resources available.