Chelsea David grew up in Licking County and has relied on Licking Memorial Health Systems (LMHS) for quality care for herself and her family.  Her children were born at Licking Memorial Hospital (LMH) and receive wellness checkups at Licking Memorial Pediatrics – Tamarack.  Her 8-year-old daughter, McKenna Ansel, tested positive for influenza B earlier this year and was home recovering when she began experiencing unusual symptoms.

“McKenna kept saying her heart was beating too fast and her arm hurt,” Chelsea said.  “She could not eat, and I knew it was more than just the flu causing these symptoms.  Something was seriously wrong with my child.”

The complaints about her heart were concerning to Chelsea, and she decided to take McKenna to the LMH Emergency Department (ED).  Upon arrival, McKenna was registered, triaged quickly, and taken to a room for evaluation.  Nurse Yulia Casto checked on McKenna and quickly realized the seriousness of the situation.  She reported her concerns to Ryan W. Longstreth, M.D., who examined McKenna and began searching for the cause of her symptoms.    

Many illnesses, especially those involving viruses or infection, present with similar symptoms such as fever, headache, or sore throat.  Diagnosing a patient can be challenging and requires laboratory testing for confirmation.  Dr. Longstreth began the process by ordering standard blood tests; however, the testing did not provide a clear indication of a specific illness that could cause McKenna to experience chest and arm pain.  

“The entire staff was working so hard to comfort McKenna and assist in any way possible.  The Clinical Supervisor, John Sharp, jumped in to assist in placing several IVs because McKenna was so dehydrated,” Chelsea shared.  “They are an amazing team filled with compassion and kindness for their patients.  Dr. Longstreth refused to give up and stayed the course throughout the process.  He was determined to find out why McKenna was experiencing heart palpitations, and his perseverance saved her life.”
After more comprehensive testing, Dr. Longstreth was able to diagnose McKenna with myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, or myocardium.  The inflammation, which is typically caused by viral infections, weakens the heart muscle reducing the ability of the heart to pump blood.  Myocarditis is classified as a rare disease and challenging to diagnose due to the lack of specific symptoms.  The infection was severe and required immediate treatment.  Realizing the necessity for specialized care, a medical helicopter transported McKenna to a children’s hospital in Columbus for treatment.

“The situation was frightening, but Dr. Longstreth and the nurses at LMH encouraged and supported us,” Chelsea remembers.  “They were all so nice, and we could not have asked for a better team to care for our child.  I truly believe they saved McKenna’s life that day because she had been diagnosed with the flu, and the staff could have easily sent her home to rest.  Instead, Dr. Longstreth listened to our concerns and exhausted all options to determine that there was a severe infection.”

Once taken to the children’s hospital, McKenna had to be placed on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), a life-support therapy for patients with severe, life-threatening heart or lung failure.  The equipment functions as a temporary external heart-lung machine, pumping blood out of the body to an artificial lung that oxygenates the blood, removes carbon dioxide, and pumps it back into the body.  ECMO does not cure the underlying disease; instead, the equipment undertakes the workload of the heart and lungs, allowing the patient’s organs to rest and heal.
  
“We had no idea of the severity of her condition until she was placed on ECMO.  We are amazed at how lucky we were to have the team of nurses and Dr. Longstreth on duty that day,” Chelsea said.  “There is no way for me or my family to ever repay the people who cared for McKenna.”

Since her recovery, Chelsea took McKenna to visit Dr. Longstreth and the staff in the ED.  The family, including her father, Jason Ansel, who lives in Zanesville, wanted to share their appreciation with the team that worked so hard to assist in diagnosing and caring for McKenna.  McKenna enjoys being part of the Newark Junior Cats Cheer team and watching her brother, Murphy, participate in T-ball.  The family is pleased to share about the positive experience and the great care they receive at all the LMHS facilities.