Dancer had fainting spells for 18 years. Going into cardiac arrest finally led to a diagnosis.

特拉妮·宗卡祖父在檀香山举行葬礼的那天早上, she was so busy getting ready that she forgot to eat breakfast.

在去太平间之前，宗卡的家人聚集在她父母的房子里. They shared a glass of sake in honor of her beloved grandfather.

When the service started, Zonca's heart was racing. Her palms were sweating. She felt jittery. She figured her body was reacting to her emotions. As her turn to speak approached, the sensations heightened. 她转向丈夫德里克，让他给她一个大大的熊抱，让她平静下来.

走到讲台上，宗卡注意到其他孙子孙女都没有跟着她. 原计划是由她发言，他们站在她身边，代表他们这一代人.

I guess I'm doing this on my own, she thought.

The words didn't come. She froze. Zonca的父母转向她的哥哥和表弟说:“你们得上去."

But there was no time. In that same moment, Zonca's heart stopped. She was in cardiac arrest.

Two of Zonca's cousins – both nurses – ran to her. 由于无法检测到任何呼吸，他们尖叫着叫人拨打911，并开始心肺复苏. They also asked for an AED, an automated external defibrillator; the mortuary had one. 房间里的一名工作人员跑到走廊去取，不到一分钟就回来了.

The device can help restart a heart's rhythm. The first shock didn't do it. A second shock didn't. That's when paramedics arrived and took over.

Zonca was awake when she arrived at the hospital. When doctors asked her to wiggle her hands or feet, she couldn't. 他们对她进行了药物诱导昏迷，以帮助她的大脑和身体从创伤中恢复过来.

Three days later, she was brought out of the coma. She was understandably confused when she woke up.

她想她只是有了一个“插曲”，比其他人更严重.

在过去的18年里——从她读高三开始——Zonca每年都会昏厥几次. Doctors never found out why. There was no real pattern to the episodes.

当她从一个活跃的青少年成长为一名专业舞者时(她在各种舞台上表演过，从剧院舞台表演到迪士尼乐园), the theory was that she exhausted herself. 她经常忘记吃早餐或喝足够的水的事实支持了这一理论.

Her cardiac arrest forced doctors to take a closer look. While Zonca was still in the coma, 他们发现她患有一种罕见的疾病，叫做长QT综合征, 心律不齐一种心脏电系统的紊乱，可导致不规则和潜在的致命心跳. Once Zonca was conscious and alert, doctors delivered the news.

To keep her heart safe, 医生在她的胸腔里植入了一个装置来监测任何异常的节律, if so, can shock her heart back into a normal rhythm. It's called an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

Zonca's episode occurred last July. 医生告诉她，为了安全地继续她对舞蹈的热爱, 她需要减少锻炼的频率和锻炼的强度.

Today, she still dances full time. One of her medicines suppresses her adrenaline, 这有助于控制她的心脏，但对她来说，完成一场表演更具挑战性. The tradeoff, however, is worth it.

"I'm grateful I get to do something I love, 即使被诊断出患有可能会夺走我生命的疾病," said Zonca, 最近从加州搬回夏威夷和家人住在一起.

Since her cardiac arrest, 宗卡已经成为美国心脏协会的一名倡导者，并且是该协会心脏散步的常客, sharing her story with others and the importance of CPR.

"Had my cousins not stepped in the split second they did, doctors said I would not have made it," she said. "They saved my family from having to figure out another funeral."

Stories From the Heart 记录心脏病和中风幸存者、护理人员和倡导者的鼓舞人心的旅程.