1 out of 5

Cassidy and her favorite nurse, Dani

Golf coaches Jeremy Boyce and Kas Seschler and coach Kurt Calvert at the state championship.

Cassidy has been discharged from hospital after her longest hospital stay. From left are her nurse practitioner, Sterling McDavid, and her physician assistants, Krista Oldshouse and Devon Atwood.

Cassidy and her pastor, Marty Payton of Charity Baptist, after her first ablation.

PA Kaylin Iannotta poses with Cassidy Sekler and PA Diamond Russos to celebrate Heart Month.

8^th The annual Love Neighbors fundraiser will support her on March 16th.

It didn’t take long for those hosting 2024’s Love Thy Neighbor to hire Cassidy Seschler as the recipient of the proceeds. One of the county’s largest fundraising organizations will support the young athlete’s continued quest to stay ahead of the deterioration of his heart condition, which was first identified in 2021. After her cardiopulmonary arrest, she was placed in a coma as part of an 11-day hospital stay, where she was given CPR to save her life before being flown to Brenner Children’s Hospital, followed by a five-day hospitalization. Although Cassidy made some early progress, she still had to stop playing softball, but was able to focus on golf until last summer. Since then, her condition has worsened.

Cassidy, a member of Rowan County’s 2019 World Series championship softball team, had a heart defibrillator implanted that allowed for minimal activity. She said: “I missed softball. Golf was completely new to me in mid-2022, but it was fun and more relaxing. It’s based on individual performance and more of a mental part. Still, it’s me It gave me a positive outlet among a great group of girls. I love competing! But a week or two into golf season, I started having more heart problems.”

The ablation was performed and took 9 hours. The damage to Cassidy’s heart has so far been limited to the right side. This condition, called arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, is an inherited condition that can cause fatal arrhythmias, including those that cause sudden death in young athletes.

In early summer 2023, Cassidy found further success on the golf course, often strong enough to play 18 holes. But on July 8, her heart rate began to rise to a dangerous point. She was sent to the hospital and spent a week at Levine Children’s Hospital, but was able to rejoin the golf team three weeks after she was discharged. Cassidy played five weeks to qualify for postseason golf.

Another ablation revealed that the damage to Cassidy’s heart had also moved to the left side. she said: “The leftists probably wanted to join the party. There was always something new. Medications often don’t work and have side effects.”

After being hospitalized again, Cassidy played in the state golf tournament for the second year in a row. During her Halloween week, she played on Monday and Tuesday with many of her school friends at Pinehurst cheering her on. However, on the seventh hole, her heart rhythm worsened, forcing Cassidy to withdraw her.

On January 24, Cassidy began to feel weak and tired. As she was driving home from her church on Sunday, she felt cold, dizzy and, in fact, had all the symptoms of a heart attack. She was in her worst condition to date, possibly due to myocarditis, an inflammation of her heart, which left her unable to breathe. On her inflammation scale, where her normal value is less than 12, Cassidy said she reached 5,000.

Her mother Kathy said: “We’ve been on a roller coaster ride at different hospitals. No one knows what’s going on with her body. We want to get as much attention as possible.” Cassidy said. is attending Duke University and plans to visit Johns Hopkins University soon, but the family has been in contact with doctors in the Netherlands.

Concordia Lutheran Church, in partnership with Trinity Lutheran Church and South Rowan High School, will host a “Love Thy Neighbor” fundraiser on March 16th. Lead organizer Jason Ritchie said, “Most people do not experience ARVC and the condition is discovered at autopsy. Cassidy always refers to us as ‘us.’ It’s a family issue, sure, but it’s much bigger than that. Although doctors and hospital staff don’t know everything about what’s going on with Cassidy, many are following her progress and praying for her well. ” Love Thy Neighbor will help with expenses related to Cassidy’s illness.

Ritchie says, “We will be raffling off 200 tickets at $100 each to win a 48-inch Bobcat zero-turn mower.The mower costs $7,500.Echo SRM-225 Weed Eater and An Echo CS310-16 Chainsaw will be drawn. Tickets are $5 or $3 for $10. Other big drawing items include a stay at Cherry Tree Resort, Kannapolis Cannonballer tickets, 3X3 Barn Quilt, and Yeti Cooler. We will also be raffling off small items during the cake silent auction.”

Additionally, there will be a Love Thy Neighbor 5K, 10K, and Fun Run/Walk. The 5km and 10km start at 8am, followed by a fun run. Register at runsignup.com and Salisburyrowanrunners.org. Cassidy’s parents, Todd and Kathy, and sister Kayla will also be participating in the 5K. Click here if you want the Love Thy Neighbor T-shirt https://dales.itemorder.com/shop/home/ Enter the code “NEIGHBOR”.

A full country breakfast is served from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and is by donation.

Cassidy’s heart is filled with fat, and doctors say her case is the most unique and different case of ARVC they’ve ever seen. They continue to try to slow the progression of the disease, but the likely outcome will be a heart transplant. Through all of this, Cassidy maintains her positive attitude. Most of the time, she attends school half a day, but because she is smart, she vows to continue her studies, saying, “In her life she has never gotten a B.” Cassidy is considering a career as a pediatric cardiologist, and she may also work in the ER. She will turn 18 in June.

When asked what keeps her going, Cassidy said: “I have peace because of the Bible and my community!”

If you have any questions or would like to donate to Cassidy’s medical expenses, please contact Richie at 704-202-4975. Concordia Lutheran Church is located at 185 Concordia Church Road. A huge thank you to the Atwell Volunteer Fire Department, Landis Police Department, the Stearns family (for preparing the breakfast), Russell Foster (for the overall race trophy), the Salisbury Rowan Runners, and all the donors and volunteers.