HILLIARD, Ohio — A Hilliard teen is heading back to school with hope and a story of courage after suffering cardiac arrest.
Janine Humeidan lived a typical teenager’s life with school, friends and her favorite sport of field hockey. But that was all was threatened last year, when Janine, who was healthy and thriving, collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest at home during a family gathering.
It was an undetected, rare, genetic heart disorder that caused her heart to collapse. But it was an absolute miracle that her aunt, who is an anesthesiologist, was there to save her with chest compressions.
Janine, or “Gigi” as her friends call her, was eventually treated at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, an extreme form of life support, because her heart had failed to the point that it could not pump blood into her body.
Doctors said that because Janine was so small, at four feet nine inches tall and less than a hundred pounds, it was challenging to find organs.
Janine was placed on the transplant list, but they turned to an artificial heart until a donor's heart became available.
This was all happening at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the seasoned medical experts at OSU Wexner Medical said Janine’s small and mighty presence provided much-needed energy and motivation for them.
The teen did lose her right leg because of some complications. Therapy, both physical and occupational, have helped her master a prosthetic leg.
Janine is absolutely thriving and back in the game with her Hilliard Lynx field hockey team. She will graduate on time in the spring and has plans to attend college where she will major in business.