A 17-year-old student from Hertfordshire who had previously been reassured by her doctor that her chest pains were linked to anxiety collapsed at school and suffered a cardiac arrest, leading to a harrowing life-or-death drama witnessed by her classmates. Evelyn Walker, once considered healthy and active, began an ordinary day at sixth form last month, unaware that it would soon take a traumatic turn.
Evelyn had arrived at school with a friend and sat down as usual, but soon began to feel unwell with unexpected chest discomfort. “Everything was normal that morning, until all of a sudden I had chest pains, felt sick, and then I collapsed,” she recounted from her hospital bed. Events unfolded rapidly, with no warning that she was about to go into cardiac arrest in front of her peers.
Teachers responded swiftly, with one member of staff administering immediate CPR as another ran across the premises to fetch a defibrillator. Evelyn’s heart stopped for approximately five minutes as frantic attempts were made to revive her before emergency services arrived. “I have no memory of it at all,” Evelyn explained. “I just remember waking up in hospital days later.” Her heart was shocked back into rhythm twice before she was stabilised and transferred via ambulance to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge.
Her parents, Jennifer and Nick Walker, experienced every parent’s worst nightmare when they received the emergency call. “It was the most terrifying moment of my life,” said Jennifer, her mother. “When I saw the word ‘ambulance’ on my phone, I thought she’d had a minor accident. But soon after, the police came to my door and for a moment I feared the worst.” Rushing to the hospital, the Walkers found medical staff had placed Evelyn in a medically induced coma to aid her recovery.
Evelyn remained in a coma for three days, awakening disoriented but, miraculously, on the path to recovery. Her month-long hospital stay included a battery of tests, though doctors were unable to pinpoint the exact cause of her heart stopping. To safeguard her future health, Evelyn now has an internal defibrillator fitted—a device designed to prevent any recurrence of such a crisis.
Reflecting on her experience, Evelyn is determined to urge young people to trust their instincts about their health. “I’ve learned how important it is to keep pushing for answers from doctors if you feel something is wrong. If I’d been older, I think my symptoms would have been taken more seriously,” she said. She had previously consulted her GP about chest discomfort two years ago, only to be told it was likely anxiety. “We still don’t know if the incidents are linked, but I’m frustrated that it wasn’t properly looked into.”
Her mother Jennifer has since established ‘Young Hearts UK’, a Facebook page aimed at spreading awareness about sudden cardiac arrests among children and teenagers. The Walkers are now passionate advocates for CPR and defibrillator training, believing that such knowledge can be lifesaving in crisis situations. “If you experience chest pain—no matter your age—please get assessed properly,” Jennifer urged. “A simple ECG could have changed everything for Evelyn. It’s rare, but not unheard of: in the UK, twelve young people under the age of 35 die every week from sudden cardiac arrest.”
Evelyn, meanwhile, views her near-death experience as transformative. “My outlook has changed completely. I want to make the most of the opportunities I have. I feel like I’ve been given a second chance at life.”
The family’s ordeal highlights the importance of taking symptoms seriously, regardless of age, and advocating for urgent assessment when health concerns arise. Their message is clear: awareness, persistence, and training can be the difference between life and death when it comes to heart health in young people.
With medical professionals continuing to investigate the underlying cause of Evelyn’s cardiac arrest, her story stands as a powerful reminder of the value of listening to patients and the urgent necessity for rapid first aid access and education in schools.