The community is rallying around a 12-year-old Sequim girl who collapsed during soccer tryouts after suffering cardiac arrest.
Ashtyn Messinger was trying out for a local soccer team on May 17 when she suddenly collapsed on the field without warning, according to her family and a GoFundMe campaign created to support her recovery.
The incident stunned those who know Ashtyn, a multi-sport athlete who plays basketball, soccer, and softball.
“It honestly came out of nowhere,” her mother, Charmaine Messinger, told KING 5. “She just had a checkup at Children’s last August.”
Ashtyn was born with holes in her heart and underwent surgery when she was 12 days old, relatives said. Despite her medical history, doctors had cleared her for sports and normal activities.
During the tryouts, two members of the coaching staff — middle school teacher Kelli Mishko and nurse Kelsey Chapman — sprang into action. Both were trained in CPR and lifesaving techniques.
According to a GoFundMe campaign organized by assistant coach Chad, coaches performed CPR for several minutes and used an automated external defibrillator, or AED, before Ashtyn was airlifted to Seattle for treatment.
Medical experts note that irreversible brain damage can begin within minutes of cardiac arrest, underscoring how critical the coaches’ rapid response may have been.
Doctors later implanted a defibrillator in Ashtyn’s chest. An update posted to the fundraiser on May 19 said the procedure was successful.
“Ashtyn is out of surgery. It was a success but battling pain and the come down of anesthesia,” the update stated. “This girl is tough as nails and proved it by fighting for her life, and she won.”
Ashtyn said she has little memory of the incident itself, but remains grateful for those who helped save her life.
“I’m really grateful they were all there to help me,” she told KING 5.
The Messinger family owns Southern Nibble, a food truck in downtown Sequim serving Southern-style comfort food. The medical emergency meant the family had to temporarily step away from operating the business while staying by their daughter’s side.
Friends and supporters launched an online fundraiser to help cover medical expenses, travel costs, and lost income during Ashtyn’s recovery. As of June 15, the campaign had raised more than $11,000.
