U.S. Olympic medalist Jenny Simpson has shared that she is living with a rare inherited heart condition after experiencing sudden cardiac arrest in June.

Simpson, a three-time U.S. Olympian and former world champion in the 1,500 meters, collapsed June 16 after running at the Sir Walter Running Pop Up Miles in Raleigh, North Carolina. Bystanders immediately performed CPR and used an automated external defibrillator (AED).

Her pulse returned before she was taken to the hospital.

🗳️ Has a heart condition changed an activity that’s important to you?

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In an August update, Simpson said doctors diagnosed her with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), a disease of the heart muscle. The condition can disrupt the heart’s normal electrical signals and cause dangerous abnormal heart rhythms.

The diagnosis also means Simpson will not return to running. “That chapter has ended,” she wrote on Instagram. “Thankfully, my story hasn’t.”

For people living with heart disease, Simpson’s experience may feel familiar in another way: A heart condition can affect much more than the heart. It may change routines, plans, work, exercise, and activities that have long been part of a person’s identity.

Finding Purpose When Life Changes

Simpson has also been open about the emotional side of adjusting to her diagnosis. “My future is an incredible gift,” she wrote. “It’s hopeful, and it will continue to have great purpose.”

Learning that a longtime activity needs to change can involve many emotions. People living with heart disease may experience fear, anxiety, stress, or grief as they adjust to changes in their health and daily lives.

Support from healthcare professionals, loved ones, counselors, or others living with heart conditions can be part of that adjustment.

“You might be wondering what would be the right thing to say to me after an event like this?” she wrote. “Please do not say that you’re sorry or that you feel bad for me. If it is true in your heart, please tell me you’re glad that I’m here.”

She added, “I’m not afraid of what comes next because I know I’m not alone.”

Her comments offer one reminder that support after a serious heart event doesn’t always have to mean finding the perfect words. Listening to what someone wants, staying connected, and recognizing the parts of their life that still bring meaning can matter, too.