When Taylor Cowan started having chest pain in October 2022, he initially thought stress was the culprit.
After visiting his doctor and having labs drawn, there were no abnormal findings. The chest pain continued, and Cowan started experiencing one severe episode per week.
Five months later, in March 2023, Cowan had an episode that鈥攊n his own words鈥攂rought him to his knees.
鈥淚 thought I was having a heart attack,鈥 he said.
Concerned, he went to the emergency room, where they checked his labs. Cowan鈥檚 levels were normal.
In the best shape of his life, both Cowan and the doctors were puzzled at the findings. Cowan suspected stress again, as he had quit smoking just two weeks prior to this severe episode.
鈥淎fter that episode, I decided to double down on my health,鈥 said Cowan. 鈥淚 was taking cold plunges, using the sauna, and strength training three to four days a week.鈥
The pain became more frequent, and Cowan went from having one painful episode a week to multiple episodes each week.
Cowan went in for another appointment with his cardiologist and had an MRI. The MRI revealed a likely reason for his pain: a myocardial bridge.
A myocardial bridge is a congenital heart defect. It happens when one of the arteries of the heart goes through the heart itself instead of resting on top of the heart muscle. The heart muscle then squeezes the artery, causing chest pain. For most, myocardial bridge is not a fatal condition. Many who have it aren鈥檛 actually aware of their condition, and a small percentage of those who have it will experience chest pain.
Even after starting medication to help ease his condition, Cowan still faced crippling pain almost daily. Nothing seemed to help. At this point, Cowan鈥檚 cardiologist put him on a new medication.
鈥淎t this point, it seemed like this was something I was just going to have to live with,鈥 Cowan said.
The episodes became a little less frequent. When they did happen, they weren鈥檛 as painful.
Three weeks after seeing his cardiologist, Cowan went to coach football practice at Herriman High School.
鈥淚t was kind of an emotional weekend due to the fact that we lost a game, and we came to practice that next week with work on our mind and getting after some kids for not working hard enough,鈥 Cowan said. 鈥淚t was a hot day. I was doing a running back drill and started getting dizzy.鈥
That鈥檚 when Cowan collapsed.
Within two minutes, Heath Holverson started CPR on Cowan.
Holverson coaches the 9th grade football team at Herriman High and happened to be in the right place at the right time to help Cowan.
鈥淚 heard yelling and looked across the field and could see that someone had collapsed,鈥 Holverson said. 鈥淚 had a straight shot to where he was, so I went running over to Taylor. As soon as I got to him, I could tell he was in trouble.鈥
Initially, Holverson thought Cowan was having a seizure.
鈥淚 was rubbing him on the chest, and he didn鈥檛 respond,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 listened for breathing and couldn鈥檛 hear anything, so that鈥檚 when I knew I needed to start CPR.鈥
Seconds later, Kelsey Higgins, an athletic trainer for U of U Health鈥檚 Snowbird Clinic, was by Holverson鈥檚 side.
Higgins was covering for a colleague at the football practice, providing sideline coverage and on-field care for the athletes. When she heard someone had collapsed, she was on a different field than Cowan. Luckily, she got a ride from some students on a golf cart and was on the scene in no time.
鈥淗eath was performing CPR and needed someone to take over for him, so I stepped in,鈥 Higgins said. 鈥911 was already on the phone. They had done all the right things.鈥
Thanks to their emergency training, Holverson and Higgins were able to give chest compressions and then utilize an AED to help stabilize Cowan while they waited for the ambulance to arrive.
鈥淚t was a stressful situation,鈥 Higgins said. 鈥淏ut you kind of just shut off your brain and do what you are trained to do.鈥
Herriman High requires emergency training for athletic coaches. This includes having access to鈥攁nd learning how to use鈥攍ifesaving medical equipment. Thankfully, everything lined up perfectly for Cowan to get the care he needed in a timely manner.
鈥淚t was a miracle that it all happened right there and that we could save him,鈥 Holverson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a good reminder for every athletic program out there鈥攖raining on these types of things literally saves lives.鈥
Cowan was unresponsive and without oxygen for about ten minutes.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 remember much of anything,鈥 Cowan said. 鈥淚 vaguely remember being in the back of an ambulance, and then waking up in the hospital room surrounded by family and friends.鈥
The cause of Cowan鈥檚 cardiac arrest that day remains unknown. But thanks to Vikas Sharma, MD, there is a path forward.
Sharma, an assistant professor of surgery in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at 麻豆学生精品版, has also helped Cowan coordinate his care and schedule myocardial bridge repair surgery on March 5.
While he waits for his surgery date, Cowan continues to keep himself as healthy as possible. He knows he has more life to live, more things to accomplish鈥攁nd he wants to be ready to hit the ground running after surgery.
鈥淚 really wasn鈥檛 a religious or spiritual person before my cardiac arrest,鈥 Cowan said. 鈥淏ut how was it that I was in the exact spot I needed to be that day, around people who knew how to do CPR and use an AED? It鈥檚 like God was putting people around me to save me, and I鈥檓 so grateful for that.鈥
