'Not take anything for granted'

Carlee Goodwin was hoping that her senior year at Coldwater would be routine: finishing up her studies and looking to excel in the three sports she competes in.  

Goodwin, who had earned All-Ohio honors as a junior competing in swimming and track and field, was competing in cross country when she needed to take a routine physical.

That's when everything took a dramatic turn.

"(The doctor) asked me if I had any complications," said Goodwin. "I told her I had these palpitations sometimes. They referred me to a cardiologist."

After tests, Goodwin was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), which causes a rapid and erratic heartbeat. To treat SVT, Goodwin was given a catheter ablation, which inserts a wire into a vein that threads to the heart and either uses heat or cold to take out the areas causing the issues.

The process usually can be done on an outpatient basis. While it would cost Goodwin the rest of her cross country season, it would allow her to be ready for swimming in the winter.

But during the procedure, Goodwin suffered a mini-stroke.

"I spent the next four days in the hospital. I couldn't get out of bed," said Goodwin. "When I was discharged, they said to 'keep it low for a month' (minimal activity). After a month, I had to go and take another stress test to make sure my heart could work under pressure. After that I was cleared."

Although cleared to return to get ready for swimming, the process to get back to her old self was slow.

"It was rough. I felt like I could push my body as hard as I normally would, but my cardio was awful. It took a lot of time to get back that point (pre-procedure)," said Goodwin. "It was a month or two before I could feel I could get through 30 minutes of practice."

Once back up to speed, Goodwin was able to help the 200-yard medley relay reach the state tournament in Columbus, just missing All-Ohio honors.

From swimming, Goodwin got ready for track and field season, where she competes in the high jump, hurdles and the 4x800 relay - a event where she helped the Cavaliers finished fifth last year at the Division III state meet to earn All-Ohio honors.

From the outset of her health issues, Goodwin got plenty of support from coaches, teachers, classmates and teammates.

"I don't think I ever had to doubt being able to go up to a coach and say 'I don't think I can handle this,' " said Goodwin. "They've all been understanding to help me get back to 100 (percent)."

So far this season, Goodwin has been a regular contributor. She has the top height for the Cavaliers in the high jump at five feet and the fastest time in the 300 hurdles at 48.35 seconds to go along with a season best time of 18.28 seconds in the 100 hurdles.

"I'd say I'm back - 100 percent, or more," said Goodwin. "Didn't know if it was affecting me too much, but it feels easier to do stuff right now.

"I know I can push myself to the limit and not having to worry about going into cardiac arrest. I've done harder workouts this year and am focusing to drop my time and get back to state."

In addition to her athletic prowess, Goodwin, a National Honor Society member with a 3.70 grade point average who has volunteered at Mercer Health, has also been a part of Project Everybody Beautiful, a group that helps women who have undergone tragic events get back on their feet.

One thing that Goodwin learned from the experience was that things don't always go smoothly in life.

"It made me not take anything for granted," said Goodwin, who will head to Ball State in the fall to study nursing. "It also made realize you could be going through something and have no idea. The main thing is tomorrow could be my last practice."