The loss of a child is a parent’s worst nightmare, and our hearts go out to all the family members who have had to endure such a horrific tragedy. Despite their unimaginable grief, the parents of 10-year-old London are finding solace in keeping her memory alive. London’s mother is determined to fight for changes, recognizing that time is of the essence in devastating situations like this.
London tragically passed away from an underlying heart condition while riding a 270-foot water slide in Michigan. Doctors determined that it was excitement that triggered her heart to enter an abnormal rhythm, leading to cardiac arrest while she was on the slide.
London’s mother, Tina, shared that the slide had a heartbeat sound at the top, which her husband found particularly eerie. Little did they know that London would come out of the slide without a heartbeat, adding to the heartbreaking nature of the situation.
London had eagerly anticipated riding the Super Loop Speed Slide, the largest slide at Zehnder’s Splash Village in Frankenmuth, for two years. This slide features a four-story straight drop followed by a 360-degree loop, offering an exhilarating experience that lasts just 6.9 seconds.
Finally meeting the 48-inch height requirement in February 2018, London pleaded with her parents to take her to the indoor water park during President’s Day weekend. Just 45 minutes before embarking on the slide, London excitedly recorded a video with her older sister Eden, promising to capture footage of their water slide adventures.
London bravely entered the pink capsule of the Super Loop Speed Slide, flashing two thumbs up to her dad before descending down the slide. However, as she emerged from the ride, she was in cardiac arrest, shocking her family.
Tina, sitting on the other side of the park, initially dismissed the whistle, assuming children were just playing. However, as she observed the panicked expressions of others, she grew uneasy. Frantically trying to reach her husband, Tina rushed to the slide area, where she discovered the tragic scene.
London was swiftly transported to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with Long QT syndrome, a heart rhythm disorder. Despite being a gymnast and showing no prior symptoms, London’s condition led to her sudden cardiac arrest.
Placed on life support, London’s parents maintained a vigil by her bedside, their hopes dimming as days passed. Tragically, after nine days, London passed away, leaving her family devastated by the sudden loss.
WHAT IS LONG QT SYNDROME?
Long QT syndrome is a heart rhythm disorder that can cause heartbeat palpitations, fainting, drowning, or sudden death.
The inherited condition can cause fast and chaotic heartbeats, triggering a sudden fainting spell or seizure.
If the heart beats erratically for too long, the condition can also cause sudden death.
The condition is treatable with medication to prevent erratic heart rhythm. Other cases may benefit from surgery or an implantable device.
But many people with Long QT syndrome don’t show any signs or symptoms. They might only become aware of it due to an ECG, family history, or genetic testing results.
Source: Mayo Clinic
‘I would have taken her home with the brain damage but I’m glad she made that choice for us,’ Tina said.
‘She fought for nine days in the hospital, then she gained her angel wings.’
Days later, London was laid to rest in the dress she would have worn at her school’s father-daughter dance, which was held the very same day as her funeral.
‘I didn’t have a chance to buy shoes,’ Tina said. ‘She looked like an angel with her dress and no shoes. She really did look like a sleeping beauty.’
Tina said life has been an ‘ongoing nightmare’ without London, revealing that she cries herself to sleep every night.
But the devastated mother wants to make sure no family has to experience her pain.
Tina has since trained to become an instructor for the American Heart Association and has launched a foundation to help grant defibrillators to the community.
A defibrillator delivers a dose of electric current to the heart that helps it re-establish the normal rhythm.
No defibrillators were used during London’s cardiac arrest at the water park. That’s something Tina wants to change.
But the devastated mother wants to make sure no family has to experience her pain. ‘You have to respond, you don’t have time to wait,’ she said. ‘I think people are afraid of defibrillators, but they’re very easy to use. They’re what is needed to bring back the rhythm.’
Tina and her sister, Dr Kristina Nikolakeas, are currently writing legislation that would require genetic testing for heart defects at birth, according to WJRT. She is also working to make AED drills (also known as sudden cardiac arrest drills) mandated in schools across Michigan.
Tina joined forces with Jennifer Shea, who manages the student heart check program at a local hospital, for the cause. ‘What we want them to be able to do is to respond with the AED in an appropriate amount of time, which is at best three minutes,’ Shea said. ‘We have multiple fire drills each year in school and the last time a child died in school because of a fire was in 1927.
‘And so, that takes a lot of coordination and it’s something that you really need to practice.’
While London is still always on her mind, Tina said she knows she needs to find the strength to continue to fight for change in her daughter’s honor.
‘Even though I have to be going through this right now, at least in her name, let’s save some other children.’
