Sixth-grade competitive swimmer receives honors during 17th Annual Greater Cleveland Sports Awards
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Kendra Seitz was four years old when she suddenly became ill in July 2009. “We thought she had the flu,” said Kendra’s mother Lea Seitz. After a few days of showing no signs of improvement, Lea and her husband took their daughter to see a pediatrician. At first, Kendra appeared to be dehydrated. But later that day, tests revealed she was suffering from cardiac failure and was flown to Cleveland Clinic Children’s.
The Seitz family met with Gerald Boyle, MD, Medical Director of Pediatric Heart Failure and Transplant Services at Cleveland Clinic, who then explained that Kendra arrived in Cardiogenic Shock— a condition in which your heart suddenly can’t pump enough blood to your body’s needs.
“Her heart was failing,” said Dr. Boyle. “There was really no medical therapy that can be used to keep her going, so we had to put her on the heart transplant list.”
A heart became available just six days after being admitted. Kendra’s transplant surgery was a success, but also left her feeling weak and unable to walk. To help strengthen her muscles, our physical therapists used Aqua Therapy that involved a pool at the rehabilitation facility.
“Swimming both healed her body, but more importantly her mind,” said Dr. Boyle. By the time Kendra left rehab, she left walking with one goal in mind — to join a swim team. Today, Kendra is a competitive swimmer on the Hudson Explorers Aquatics Team (HEAT).
“Her courage and determination during her recovery left no doubt that she had the heart of a fighter. In fact, the heart of an Olympian,” said Dr. Boyle.
This past summer, Kendra competed in the Transplant Games of America. She swam in the 50-meter race and received a gold medal in both the butterfly and breaststroke. She was also awarded a silver medal in the freestyle and a bronze medal in the backstroke. Kendra and her family credit Cleveland Clinic caregivers as being the driving force in helping her achieve her dream of becoming a competitive swimmer.
Kendra’s determination and courage are inspiring to all, and for that she is this year’s Courage Award winner. Kendra was honored at the 17th Annual Greater Cleveland Sports Awards on Jan. 26, 2017.
Kendra Seitz accepts Cleveland Clinic Sports Health Courage Award at 17th Annual Greater Cleveland Sports Awards
Kendra Seitz accepts Cleveland Clinic Sports Health Courage Award at 17th Annual Greater Cleveland Sports Awards
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. Cleveland Clinic is consistently recognized in the U.S. and throughout the world for its expertise and care. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 81,000 employees worldwide are more than 5,743 salaried physicians and researchers, and 20,160 registered nurses and advanced practice providers, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic is a 6,690-bed health system that includes a 173-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 23 hospitals, 276 outpatient facilities, including locations in northeast Ohio; Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2023, there were 13.7 million outpatient encounters, 323,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 301,000 surgeries and procedures throughout Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 132 countries. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at twitter.com/CleClinicNews. News and resources available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org.
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