Health Scare and Recovery of Savy King
Savy King, a defender for Angel City FC, has expressed her gratitude towards the club’s medical personnel who played a crucial role in saving her life during an abrupt on-field health scare in May. The incident took place during a match against the Utah Royals FC held at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on May 9, when the 20-year-old collapsed unexpectedly without any prior contact.
With the quick response from the medical team, who performed chest compressions and utilized an AED for over ten minutes, she was stabilized before being transported to the hospital. There, doctors identified a congenital heart condition that required her to undergo surgery shortly after.
Gratitude and Optimism
In an interview with Good Morning America, King shared her heartfelt appreciation, stating,
“They saved my life. That will stay with me forever in my heart.”
Reflecting on her recovery, she expressed optimism, saying,
“I was just so happy that I was going to be able to recover and be as normal and almost be like a Savy 2.0 now, so I’ll be back, and I’ll be better than ever.”
Medical Insights and League Response
The club’s high-performance director, Sarah Smith, praised the medical team’s efficiency, noting that having them present at such a critical moment was instrumental. Meanwhile, Dr. Richard Kim, who operated on King, highlighted that she was born with an anomalous left coronary artery and explained how the surgical procedure successfully rerouted blood flow to her heart.
Despite the serious incident, the game continued, which sparked backlash from fans and the NWSL Players Association, leading to an acknowledgment from the league a week later that the match should have been halted. They assured that future occurrences would be treated differently.
The NWSL is set to resume its season on August 1, with Angel City scheduled to play against Seattle Reign FC.
