Treating an Abnormal Heart Condition

Nicole’s heart story began during a routine sports physical her senior year of high school.

“I mentioned to the doctor that I had been experiencing dizziness and chest pain. The EKGs came back normal. To be sure, they sent me home with a heart monitor. What they saw on the monitor wasn’t normal. I was admitted to University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital right away,” Nicole recalls.

Pediatric cardiologist Dr. Chris Snyder explained to Nicole that her heart was periodically stopping. She needed to stay in the hospital until they could figure out why.

After running every heart test in the book and getting no conclusive answers, Dr. Snyder reached out to colleagues across the country. He found three other cases similar to Nicole’s. At the time, there was not a name for her rare condition.

Nicole was started on a medication, which suppressed her abnormal heart rhythm for a while, but it eventually came back. Dr. Snyder then performed an electrophysiology study and cryoablation of her irritable spot located in her normal conduction system which cured her. Since the procedure, Nicole has felt much better and is working her way to the LPGA.

“I was so moved by what I went through, and the compassion the doctors and nurses showed me and my family every step of the way,” said Nicole. “Golf is my passion and the game was almost taken away from me. So I decided to incorporate golf to help others on a similar journey.”

Nicole started Fore Your Heart, a golf apparel company with the mission to save lives by increasing awareness of heart disease, promoting early detection, and supporting the innovative research.