MARY HUDDY –
CV Student Media –
Most high school students only have to worry about their math test, what college they’re going to, and who they’re going to prom with, but for Rorey Schmidt ‘16, she has something extra to be worried about. On December 26, 2015 Rorey went into Children’s Hospital because she was experiencing effects that seemed to be associated with her heart defect. She was expecting to come out with a few medications to make the effects go away, instead she found out she was going to have to have open heart surgery.
To most people the thought of open heart surgery would scare them half to death, but Rorey was now on her 4th open heart surgery and already knew what to expect. When Rorey was only 5 months old she had her first open heart surgery. The second one was when she was in 6th grade and the third one was in 8th grade. For her third surgery, they put in a melody valve through a heart catheter. During October 2015, Rorey began having symptoms again. Basketball season had just begun so she just assumed that it was due to tiredness. After a few weeks, she saw a doctor who presumed it was a sinus infection. She felt better for a few days, but then during Thanksgiving she could hardly run up and down the basketball court. She went back to the doctor, who gave her more medicine, but after a month nothing seemed to help. A month later is when she went to the Children’s hospital and received the news that she had an infection and would need her 4th open heart surgery.
When asked what the scariest part of the whole experience was, she replied saying, “The scariest part was probably waiting to find out if I was going to need to have surgery or if I could beat the infection with antibiotics.” Due to the fact, Schmidt had been through this before the idea of surgery itself wasn’t scary. However, she did mention that once she got to preOP everything becomes more real and she couldn’t help but to become a little bit more nervous.
Rorey is a senior and varsity basketball player at Castle View who has been playing her entire high school career. Because of the unexpected turn in her health, she was unable to finish out her final season playing high school basketball. “It wasn’t fun not being able to play my senior year or having to go to the doctors frequently, but in a way I am thankful for this heart defect. It has taught me not to take life and the things given to you for granted,” said Schmidt. Fortunately for Rorey, the heart defect posed no major restrictions once she fully recovers, besides living a healthy lifestyle. “My doctor always said, we don’t fix congenital heart defects to then put restrictions on you. We fix them so you can live a normal life,” said Rorey ’16.
“I remember telling my mom after surgery that I forgot how bad I was going to feel the first few days,” said Schmidt ’16. The pain didn’t stop Schmidt from making a speedy recovery. Just two weeks after her surgery she was about to climb the mini incline at the MAC park! Not only is the incline steep, but a majority of people wouldn’t choose to hike it. Every day she pushes herself to become stronger and she doesn’t plan to stop at the mini incline.
