06/07/2025
For 18 years – since she was a senior in high school – Terrianne Zonca dealt with fainting spells a few times a year. Doctors never found out why. As she went from an active teenager to a professional dancer, the theory was that she exhausted herself. The fact she often forgot to eat breakfast or drink enough water supported the theory.
Then her heart stopped at her grandfather's funeral. That forced doctors to take a closer look. While Terrianne was still in an induced coma recovering from the cardiac arrest, they discovered that she had a rare condition called long QT syndrome, a disorder of the heart's electrical system that can cause irregular and potentially fatal heartbeats.
To keep her heart safe, doctors implanted an implantable cardioverter defibrillator in her chest that monitors for any abnormal rhythms and can shock her heart back into a normal rhythm.
Since her cardiac arrest, Terrianne has become an advocate for the American Heart Association and is a regular at Heart Walks, 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."
Find a CPR class at http://spr.ly/61894Enmb.
