Student playing soccer suddenly collapsed on the field — her fall helped her family uncover a baffling diagnosis

A regular day at a middle school soccer match took a terrifying turn when a young athlete collapsed on the field without warning. What followed was a critical moment that saved her life, thanks to the quick response of bystanders and the presence of a life-saving device. Summit High School student Nina Taft was playing a game in June 2022 when she suddenly dropped to the ground. Nina had suffered sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), as reported by KTVZ 21. "We didn't think anything of it until we heard 'player down, player down.' My husband went rushing over there right in the middle of the game, and I joined him," said her mother, Mary Taft, to KTVZ.

The situation quickly became dire. Nina wasn’t moving. Without immediate intervention, her life was at risk. Just then, a sports complex employee rushed to grab an automated external defibrillator (AED), and within minutes, she was revived. By the time paramedics arrived, she was breathing again. Her family would later learn that the collapse was the result of an underlying heart condition they had never known about. The diagnosis came as a shock. "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 explained.

"She is a multi-sport athlete and has always been very active. Has never fainted, never suffered any shortness of breath, no dizziness," Taft said, noting that there were no signs that could warn them. Nina’s mother is now determined to raise awareness so that more lives can be saved in the future. In honor of American Heart Month, she has teamed up with Bend Fire & Rescue to start the HEARTSafe Community program, a local initiative aimed at educating the public on cardiac arrest response. "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 Emergency Medical Services for Bend Fire.

Bend Fire offers monthly CPR and AED training events, encouraging the community to be prepared for emergencies. They also recommend downloading the PulsePoint app, which provides directions to the nearest AED. "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 explained. "There's good Samaritan laws in our country as well. It protects any individual who's attempting to save someone's life," Taft reminded the community. Nina's story tells us that sudden emergencies require quick action.

But sometimes, early detection can also save a life. In another story, Jenny Mosely’s painful loss of her brother Ade to esophageal cancer ultimately helped her save her husband’s life. When Dave casually mentioned his persistent heartburn, Jenny immediately recognized it as the same symptom her brother had ignored. Despite years of using over-the-counter antacids, Dave’s condition hadn’t improved. Urged by his wife, he sought medical attention and was diagnosed with Barrett’s esophagus, a precancerous condition that could have turned deadly. “When we got the results, it was a mix of emotions—relief that we caught it early but also fear of what could have happened if we hadn’t taken action," Jenny remarked.