New Mom Collapses Mid-Speech After Cardiac Event

A new mother suffered a cardiac event and collapsed while delivering a speech at her brother's wedding on September 28. Amanda Simonsen, who resides in Orange County, California, was celebrating her brother Austin's wedding to Maddie when the incident occurred. This event came after Simonsen, aged 30, had previously experienced a sudden cardiac arrest on February 13, 2026. At that time, her husband performed CPR until first responders arrived. She spent two weeks in the hospital and was diagnosed with idiopathic ventricular fibrillation and nonischemic cardiomyopathy, receiving an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD).

Simonsen described feeling completely normal on the wedding day until she stood to speak. She experienced ventricular tachycardia, a rapid heart rhythm, leading to dizziness and loss of consciousness, causing her to fall and hit her head. The ICD, implanted to monitor for dangerous heart rhythms and deliver electrical therapy, activated during this, her fifth cardiac event since February. She was taken to the hospital for a CT scan and discharged the next day. Despite the emotional toll of witnessing her collapse, Simonsen expressed gratitude for surviving and for her husband's quick actions. She continues to manage her condition, which includes medication and potential future procedures, while emphasizing the importance of CPR awareness.