Victoria Thomas, a healthy 35-year-old who loved netball and working out, collapsed during a training session with a friend. Her heart stopped for 17 minutes before she was revived and placed in an induced coma. She credits her coach Adam's persistent CPR for preventing lasting brain damage.
The only memory
Speaking to OMG Stories, Victoria said: "I remember being above my legs and thinking: 'Oh my gosh your legs are really fat.' I don't know if that was an out of body experience or something like that."
"It was like I was in the roof of the gym and I was looking down on me, people were around me. I was there and I saw the size of my legs and they were absolutely huge."
She added: "I just remember being around, I didn't go anywhere. I just stayed there. Maybe that's because I didn't die and he got me back. I was just hovering above and saw it."
Medical journey
Victoria was rushed to Bristol Royal Infirmary, spent three days in a coma, and was fitted with a defibrillator before being released a week later. Years later, during pregnancy with her son Tommy, her heart deteriorated. Genetic testing diagnosed Danon disease, a rare condition that thickens heart muscles, caused by a mutated gene. Victoria was the first in her family to have it.
Doctors wanted to deliver her son at 24 weeks, but she persuaded them to continue. He was born at 30 weeks via C-section when she couldn't breathe properly. By the time Tommy was six months old, Victoria's heart was operating at only 11% capacity and she was in end-stage heart failure. She received a viable heart transplant hours before her heart gave up.
Life after transplant
Tests show her son does not have Danon disease. Victoria was selected to play volleyball and basketball at the World Transplant Games. She said: "I'm probably fitter now than I've ever been before. I worry less about certain things in life."
She encourages organ donation: "To give. To become part of the donor register. Giving your organs can save so many lives and so many different families."
