Freya Smith looks back at her suspected cardiac arrest, leaving her “struggling to catch her breath”, as she looks ahead to a a possible return to action in a Sutton shirt.
Sutton Coldfield take on Boldmere this Sunday, the last time this fixture was played at the Trevor Brown memorial stadium Royals defender Freya Smith experienced what was believed to be a cardiac arrest.
“I had this excruciating chest pain I went down and then started hyperventilating, I couldn’t catch my breath, I’m not sure how long I was down for, but eventually, the ambulance was called, and then I was in hospital for four days.
“After multiple scans, they concluded that it was an infection of the heart muscle and the membrane surrounding the heart.”
Smith would play pre-season plus a handful of competitive games this season, even captaining her side to a victory at tier three Sporting Khalsa in the National League Cup.
“There was confusion with what I was told initially, I believed that if I had a couple of months rest, I could go back to playing as normal.
I did that, I played two games, then had my scan results back, and they said, you can’t be playing competitive matches, you can’t be putting yourself under too much strain because you’ll make yourself worse, so I’m currently waiting for another scan, fingers crossed, those results come back good, and I’ll be back playing.”
“𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤” 🗣️
— Sutton Coldfield Town FC Women (@SCTFCWomen) July 28, 2024
Freya Smith speaks on her return in today’s friendly against Swindon#COYR #OurTown pic.twitter.com/JnPpoeKxwF
Thankfully for the full-back, she’s still able to train and support her side.
“Fortunately, I’m still able to train moderately. It’s not like I can’t do anything, I’m still able to do bits here and there, which is keeping me ticking along.
“It’s tough, watching the girls every Sunday, but I’ll always be there to support them, I’m hoping this season I’ll be able to come back.
But if it isn’t until next year, then bring it on!”
