Courtney Strong

On March 3rd Courtney was FaceTiming her friend when she noticed she collapsed and became unconscious. She immediately hung up the phone and called her mother to go check on her. Courtney was found pulseless and apenic. Peter, her step dad, initiated CPR as her mother Dorene called 911. Mccormick Ambulance showed up within minutes and continued BLS CPR. Moments later Torrance Fire Department arrived and began ALS interventions. Within only a couple cycles of CPR they received ROSC and transported her Little Company of Mary. Courtney was admitted to the ICU and had a large team of specialty medical providers trying to find out the cause of her arrest. After multiple tests they found that her heart goes into a lethal rhythm without explanation. After continuously going into the lethal rhythm at the hospital and brought back to life, multiple medications and treatment plans continued to be tested. After the providers consulted about the next plan to treat Courtney they decided transporting to USC KECK would be best for her outcome. Courtney was successfully transported to KECK and the lethal rhythms continued but they kept bringing her back. KECK providers formulated a plan and ultimately have decided that she needed to be placed on ECMO before taking her off of sedation. ECMO will keep Courtney stable but is only for short term use. With ECMO, Courtney becomes a top candidate for a heart transplant. As they take her off of sedation it could take days to assess her mental status. When they decide her mental status is stable, they must then do the proper testings to see if Courtney is a candidate for a heart transplant as her heart is so damaged. We have had the best love and support by family, friends and the community. With people continuing to reach out and looking to donate we have started this page for Courtney and her recovery. Thank you to everyone and continue to pray.

Love,
The Shoda & Crist Family