2025 Go Red for Women Class of Survivors: Melissa Ziebell
Melissa Ziebell experienced cardiac arrest at age 33 during a half-marathon in 2015. Race volunteers gave her CPR and used an AED to shock her heart. After open-heart surgery and a long recovery, she is redefining what it means to have an “athlete’s heart.”
Melissa Ziebell was about one mile away from the finish line of the 2015 Paris Half Marathon. She had trained extensively with a local running club and felt prepared for the race. But the day was unusually hot, and the end of the 13.1-mile route included a bit of a climb.
That’s when things started to fall apart.
“I remember seeing my legs while I was running and then suddenly, I was not able to move them,” said Melissa, who was 33 at the time. “I saw a little bit of me falling down, but that’s the last thing I remember.”
Luckily, she fell next to race volunteers who gave her CPR and used an automated external defibrillator, or AED, to shock her heart.
“The first thing I remember after I was resuscitated is two people calling my name in an English accent and a French accent,” she said. “Then all my senses started to come back. They asked me the usual questions, including, ‘Where are you?’”
She answered by saying “kilometer 19” and then tried to get up to continue the race in hopes of meeting her ambitious goal of finishing in 1 hour and 45 minutes.
But they stopped Melissa and told her she experienced a sudden cardiac arrest. She discovered later that she had been out for almost two minutes.
Immediately, she was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Tests discovered that she had a previously undiagnosed congenital heart defect.
Melissa, who is originally from Colombia, was living alone in France with no family nearby and was eligible for the country's extensive universal health care. She spent 25 days in the intensive care unit, had multiple tests and was offered the option to have either a stent-based intervention to fix the issue or open-heart surgery. She chose surgery because it came with the greatest chance of returning to her active lifestyle.
After surgery, she stayed in a recovery hospital for almost five months. Her treatment included medicine and lifestyle modifications. She said it sometimes was difficult adjusting to her new life. One reason is because she felt so healthy before the cardiac arrest. In fact, France requires medical authorization to participate in races. Before the half-marathon, a cardiologist had signed her form and said she had “an athlete’s heart.”
“I felt like I was an athlete because I was exercising,” she said. “I was eating well. I was doing all the right things, and now I was thinking how could this happen? I was super strong and healthy, and then I was super vulnerable.”
She has no family history of heart disease, and the only possible related symptom before her cardiac arrest was arm pain during exercise since childhood. Decades ago, doctors never found a cause and told her it was normal. She learned to live with the discomfort.
Now, Melissa, 43, resides in Pasadena, California. She still feels chest pain when her heart rate gets too high. Despite surgery fixing her heart issue, she now deals with spasms and nerve damage.
She learned to change her mindset and modify exercises and activities to avoid chest pain. Instead of pushing herself, she appreciates lower intensity forms of exercise.
Melissa celebrates the anniversary of her cardiac arrest every March 8. The date is also International Women’s Day. “It is a reminder that women need to advocate for their health and for each other,” she said.
“I celebrate that day as a birthday,” she said. “It’s incredible every year that passes and I’m still here. I really don’t have limitations. I have issues, but I can be a normal person and I’m here.”
She plans to honor the 10th anniversary of her cardiac arrest by entering — and completing — the same race this year.
“But this time I am not racing the clock,” she said. “I’m running for me.”
HEALTH CARE DISCLAIMER: This site and its services do not constitute the practice of medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always talk to your health care provider for diagnosis and treatment, including your specific medical needs. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem or condition, please contact a qualified health care professional immediately. If you are in the United States and experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or call for emergency medical help immediately. In such an emergency, wait for an ambulance rather than driving to the hospital.
Melissa Ziebell was about one mile away from the finish line of the 2015 Paris Half Marathon. She had trained extensively with a local running club and felt prepared for the race. But the day was unusually hot, and the end of the 13.1-mile route included a bit of a climb.
That’s when things started to fall apart.
“I remember seeing my legs while I was running and then suddenly, I was not able to move them,” said Melissa, who was 33 at the time. “I saw a little bit of me falling down, but that’s the last thing I remember.”
Luckily, she fell next to race volunteers who gave her CPR and used an automated external defibrillator, or AED, to shock her heart.
“The first thing I remember after I was resuscitated is two people calling my name in an English accent and a French accent,” she said. “Then all my senses started to come back. They asked me the usual questions, including, ‘Where are you?’”
She answered by saying “kilometer 19” and then tried to get up to continue the race in hopes of meeting her ambitious goal of finishing in 1 hour and 45 minutes.
But they stopped Melissa and told her she experienced a sudden cardiac arrest. She discovered later that she had been out for almost two minutes.
Immediately, she was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Tests discovered that she had a previously undiagnosed congenital heart defect.
Melissa, who is originally from Colombia, was living alone in France with no family nearby and was eligible for the country's extensive universal health care. She spent 25 days in the intensive care unit, had multiple tests and was offered the option to have either a stent-based intervention to fix the issue or open-heart surgery. She chose surgery because it came with the greatest chance of returning to her active lifestyle.
After surgery, she stayed in a recovery hospital for almost five months. Her treatment included medicine and lifestyle modifications. She said it sometimes was difficult adjusting to her new life. One reason is because she felt so healthy before the cardiac arrest. In fact, France requires medical authorization to participate in races. Before the half-marathon, a cardiologist had signed her form and said she had “an athlete’s heart.”
“I felt like I was an athlete because I was exercising,” she said. “I was eating well. I was doing all the right things, and now I was thinking how could this happen? I was super strong and healthy, and then I was super vulnerable.”
She has no family history of heart disease, and the only possible related symptom before her cardiac arrest was arm pain during exercise since childhood. Decades ago, doctors never found a cause and told her it was normal. She learned to live with the discomfort.
Now, Melissa, 43, resides in Pasadena, California. She still feels chest pain when her heart rate gets too high. Despite surgery fixing her heart issue, she now deals with spasms and nerve damage.
She learned to change her mindset and modify exercises and activities to avoid chest pain. Instead of pushing herself, she appreciates lower intensity forms of exercise.
Melissa celebrates the anniversary of her cardiac arrest every March 8. The date is also International Women’s Day. “It is a reminder that women need to advocate for their health and for each other,” she said.
“I celebrate that day as a birthday,” she said. “It’s incredible every year that passes and I’m still here. I really don’t have limitations. I have issues, but I can be a normal person and I’m here.”
She plans to honor the 10th anniversary of her cardiac arrest by entering — and completing — the same race this year.
“But this time I am not racing the clock,” she said. “I’m running for me.”
HEALTH CARE DISCLAIMER: This site and its services do not constitute the practice of medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always talk to your health care provider for diagnosis and treatment, including your specific medical needs. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem or condition, please contact a qualified health care professional immediately. If you are in the United States and experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or call for emergency medical help immediately. In such an emergency, wait for an ambulance rather than driving to the hospital.
