Recovery from heart surgery is one thing, to recover from it in the most crucial year of high school is another. Graduating from PPCHS in 2024, Abby Santos, has recovered in resilience from heart surgery in her senior year at charter. After facing many battles, Abby gets to enjoy her college years in FSU with a new mindset and a bright smile on her face.
“The heart surgery itself was a breeze since I was asleep for most of it. It was actually the episode itself that was the most painful.” Santos said. According to the alumna, she was playing flag football right before the episode occurred. It was Santos’ senior night and she had just scored a goal, and in her short-lived celebration, a girl charged full force into Santos. She noted, “I think the adrenaline from my touchdown and the Senior Night ceremony, combined with the force of that impact just kind of pushed my heart way past its limits.”
In that moment, her heart began to pang painfully in her chest. The pressure left her weak, undoing the alumni’s once powerful posture. “I lost my vision and consciousness. I also felt so nauseous and dizzy” she reported. Rushed to the emergency room, she was put through several tests and was eventually diagnosed with a condition called Wolff Parkinson White (WPW).
WPW generally refers to the excessive pathways admitting signals between the heart’s upper and lower chambers. This rare congenital heart defect often causes extreme tachycardia for those who have it. Santos explained, “when I’m supposed to be calm and not in an active BPM state, I had certain systems that weren’t doing that. Essentially, I could be laying in my bed with my heart beating at 200 BPM”.
What made it worse was the impact WPW had on Santos’ senior year. After the episode at Senior Night, Santos was admitted to the hospital where they told her she was out for the season. This meant she couldn’t play in the District Championship, which would’ve been her 4th straight win, or the Regional Championship, which was the Lady Jags’ first ever. Santos couldn’t even play in the States where her team won 2nd place in all of Florida: “It took away the entire postseason for me, and being a senior was my last shot at all of it.” Santos ached at that moment, “It was probably the most heartbreaking thing I experienced in all 4 years at charter.”
To combat the cruel condition, the alumna had a partially invasive procedure done. The procedure, known as a Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA), is commonly used to treat WPW. Santos states “they enter my heart through veins in my legs and use electricity to zap and cut the problem out”. During the procedure, the surgeons discovered more complications than they originally diagnosed so the procedure took roughly 5 hours instead of 2. Nonetheless, she came out healthy.
In Santos’ recovery, she acknowledged her fortunate life as someone who has always had full mobility. She said, “I was a bit too late in realizing that practices, games, and my body’s ability to partake in those activities was a privilege. If I could go back and change anything, I’d like to think I would be more grateful for flag football in its entirety”. Santos enjoyed the thrill of competing. The alumna also found gratitude in her accommodating Lady Jag team, who made sure she was included in all their games. She hopes that anyone who struggles with a major injury is a part of a team that was united and caring as hers. “I never felt left out for a single moment.” she mentioned.
It’s evident that Santos graduated with the achievement of being a student athlete but that’s not all she accomplished; she also played a huge role in The CHAT newspaper. As a photographer, she would deliver flawless images that would encapsulate events. Santos’ shots never grew short of fluidity and action, which paved her sight towards a future filled with sports-centered photojournalism. Recently, the alumna has been hired as a photographer for the FSView, the Florida State Newspaper. She admitted,” I’m so excited to have that kind of experience under my belt when it comes to applying for admittance to my major.”
Beyond that extracurricular, Santos also took part in many clubs, got her AICE diploma, and still managed to greet everyone with the biggest smile. According to one science teacher who had her as a student, AICE Marine Educator, Monica Carassco, says she still made an effort to stop by and visit between passing periods. Carassco accorded, “She’s always been a sweet girl. I really appreciated the fact that she was always putting a lot of effort in the class”
If there’s one thing Santos misses most from charter, it’s the repetitive routine of going class to class. “I liked knowing where I was and what times I would be doing everything. I miss it sometimes because every single day is different from the last up here in Tally,” Santos continues, “It leads to so many new friends and opportunities, but at the same time I do miss the familiarity of my charter routine.”
On her new campus, Santos still does fantastic. She says “I’ve been acclimating to college really well. I made an effort to go out of my way to make friends and it has really paid off; it’s truly made all the difference in my first week. Seeing familiar faces and having people to go to dinner and outings with is amazing.” What truly enriches her experience is her ability to officially play Flag Football again! “I am free to play it up here in FSU!” Santos says now that she can go back to dashing and defending.
Above all, Santos took on many roles in her high school career. She was a photographer for ‘The CHAT’, a proud Lady Jag, and beyond those titles, a fighter. Jags of the future should be honored to stand where she once stood. There is just so much planned for the amazing Abby Santos!
