My name is Ashley Bergen, I have had the pleasure of watching Addison Herald (AKA Addie) for the last several seasons, do what she does best, play softball! This kid lights up a room, and has an enormous presence on and off the softball field with her Gator sisters. She has so many accomplishments already, and is just getting started! She is a beast at 3rd base, and has a bat that can catch fire! When she steps up, teams know “Something Bad” is about to happen (her walk up music, by Miranda Lambert). She won Offensive MVP just last summer during our Nationals tournament in Evansville, and has been nominated for All-State every season. Her personality is huge, and contagious! Last fall Addie was diagnosed with HCM, a genetic heart condition, that has kept her off the field for sometime. She had her first debut back at it just last weekend. We have learned from her doctors, that in order for her to continue to do the one thing, she loves most, which is softball, is that she will need to carry an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) with her in anything she does that could be hard on her heart. Let me explain just a little bit more. Pediatric Cardiomyopathy (PCM) is a chronic and progressive disease in which the heart muscle becomes abnormally enlarged, thickened, and/or stiffened such that the heart can no longer relax properly. There are a handful of types of cardiomyopathy. Addie has Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) which she obtained genetically. HCM occurs at the rate of 5 per 1 million children. HCM is characterized by the abnormal growth and arrangement of the muscle fibers in the heart. The thickened and stiffer heart muscle reduces the capacity of the heart to fill and contract properly, leading to arrhythmia or obstruction of the blood outflow from the heart. She is on medication to control arrhythmias and she will eventually need to have an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator(ICD) placed as symptoms progress to prevent sudden cardiac death. Through monitoring and many many tests, Addie’s cardiologist not only believes it is safe for her to play moderate intensity sports as long as an AED is always present but also it is beneficial to her physical and mental wellbeing, as well. As we all know this will be expensive medically on her family, please consider donating to this cause! All we need is an AED! Please help us keep this smile on our #33’s face! She belongs out there, on the field, with her Indiana Gator sisters! They are NOT just teammates, they are family! Anything helps! #FightForAddie #PCM #HCM #Threes #33 #SoftballLife #IndianaGators #GatorFamily #SoftballFam #AED

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