02/07/2026
Meet Bailey, a 17-year-old student-athlete whose love for the game brought a congenital heart condition.
During her sophomore year, Bailey participated in a free athletic screening provided by Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist at Heart of a Champion Day. It was then that doctors diagnosed her with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, a serious heart condition that can cause dangerous, rapid heart rhythms.
"Sometimes in class, I would just be sitting there and I would feel my heart start beating really fast, and it was scary because I didn’t know what was going on," Bailey recalls. After years of pushing through symptoms, that free screening changed the course of her life.
Not long after her diagnosis, Bailey underwent a life-saving heart procedure with Dr. David Lawrence at Atrium Health Levine Children's Hospital, thanks to expert collaboration with Atrium Health Levine Children’s Brenner Children's Hospital and Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute.
The surgery itself was relatively simple, but as Dr. Lawrence emphasized, "The key is the screening that finds the condition.”
Bailey’s resilience shone through—she returned to basketball camp just days after her procedure and was soon back to her favorite sports, including basketball, volleyball, track and dance.
"I feel this relief, like I'm not worried about it," Bailey said. "I don't feel that pain, and I don't feel just that tightness, and it's just been a really big relief." Her experience gave her an up-close look at the world of medicine, inspiring her to want to become a surgeon someday.
Bailey’s incredible journey was honored at a Wake Forest Basketball game, where she joined the pre-game festivities courtside, participated in the team runout through the tunnel, and received on-court recognition for her inspiring story.
We’re proud to celebrate Bailey’s strength, resilience, and the dedication of her incredible care teams dedicated to keeping young athletes safe and thriving.
Learn more about Heart of Champion screenings here: https://bit.ly/3xzlsp8