10/04/2025
On stage with her dance studio team, Noelle felt a little off. Her balance was wonky. She felt disassociated with her body. She focused on getting the next move right.
The choreography called for the dancers to drop to the stage and lie down. When the other dancers got up, Noelle didn't. The audience assumed it was part of the dance, until a dancer cried out: "Stop the music!"
Noelle’s heart had stopped. She was in cardiac arrest at age 17.
One audience member started performing CPR while another ran to get the automated external defibrillator. It took two shocks from the AED to get her heart beating.
At the hospital, tests revealed Noelle has long QT syndrome, a rare disorder of the heart's electrical system that can cause an irregular heartbeat, along with life-threatening complications like sudden cardiac arrest. She’d had it since birth.
Noelle got an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, or ICD, to monitor her heart and correct irregular rhythms. She also started taking medication to help control her heartbeat. Her doctor worked with her to find a safe game plan to keep dancing.
"I knew I wanted dance to be in my life forever and I didn't want this to get in the way," she said.
Noelle worked her way back slowly, and was able to join her team for the last performance of her senior year.
Now she’s a full-time performer and teacher, currently in Japan, introducing kids to dance and hoping she inspires and empowers them to develop their own relationship with dance.
"Dance helped me keep going through the hardest time in my life," Noelle said. "It's a dream to be able to share it with others."
