By Krys Estes
Contributing Writer
Hundreds of local supporters gathered on the University of North Carolina Wilmington campus Saturday morning while 12-year-old Riley Burns cheered on the crowd gathered for the annual Cape Fear Heart Walk.
No one would ever be able to tell that the pre-teen was diagnosed with third-degree conductive heart block, with syncope and arrhythmia, and had surgery to receive her first adult-size pacemaker to help control her heart beat three years ago.
“I feel great,” Riley said.
Riley’s mother, Kim Burns, realized something was wrong with her daughter when she came into her bedroom one night, feeling sick to her stomach and then having an unexpected seizure shortly after. It’s impossible for any parent to prepare for their kid to be sick in this way, she said.
“It’s been an event for sure,” David Burns, Riley’s father, said. “You can’t even tell anything has happened to her now.
Riley had always been a healthy child with no detected heart issues nor ever having been diagnosed with anything serious before, her parents said. Doctors believe her heart issues were caused by Rheumatic Fever she experienced earlier as a child.
“Riley has been a great example for other kids who have similar cases,” Kim Burns said. “Other kids should know it doesn’t have to be a fear or an issue to remain active after a surgery like that. Sure Riley was scared at first to do anything, even leave the house. But you have to remember to stay positive and don’t let it define you, you have to define it.”
Riley maintains an active lifestyle as she cheers for both her school and on an all-star cheer team.
“Her peers have been wonderful,” Kim Burns said. “She has the best support group. No one treats her any differently. I read an article about a 16-year-old girl who had a similar procedure as Riley and she said the best thing her parents ever did was just let her be a kid after the surgery. So we just let her do her own thing.”
Kim Burns said her daughter was usually just on the sidelines before the surgery and wanted to tumble and cheer after the surgery, which is when she became the most active in her life.
“It’s been as much of a physical journey as well as an emotional one for her,” Kim Burns said.
The Heart Walk is the American Heart Association’s largest single fundraising event across the nation. Funds raised support research, public health programs and community education to fight heart disease and stroke, America’s number one and number five killers. For more information visit www.capefearncheartwalk.org.
