The mother of a 10-year-old Michigan girl who emerged without a heartbeat at the end of a water park slide spoke about the horrifying experience.
“The slide she went down has a heartbeat sound at the top that my husband said made it even scarier. Who would have ever thought she would come out the bottom without one?” said the girl’s mother, Tina, via The Sun.
London Eisenbeis had waited two years until she was finally tall enough to go on this particular water slide. It is the biggest slide at Zehnder’s Splash Village, and has a 48-inch minimum height requirement.
London even recorded video footage before she entered the park. She expressed that she was looking forward to having fun.
“Hey guys. What’s up? … today we are at Zehnder’s Splash Village. And we’re going to get some footage of our water slide, so stay tuned for more videos. Peace!” said London, standing alongside her older sister in a video obtained by The Sun.
London was ecstatic to finally have the opportunity to go on the pink-and-purple tubular slide that starts high and curves through the water park area, but disaster would soon follow.
“London looked at her dad, gave two thumbs up and smiled, went down the slide and came out in cardiac arrest,” Tina told The Sun. “The excitement threw her rhythm.”
Tina sat on the other side of the park to wait for her husband and two children while London went on the slide. Tina realized something was wrong when she saw horrified faces near the area where the slide ends after its 273-foot long course.
“I heard a whistle go off,” Tina told The Sun. “I was like, ‘Oh, there’s probably kids messing around.’ But within maybe minutes I started seeing women looking terrified. One woman was walking with two children, grabbing them.”
The woman told Tina frightening news, but Tina wasn’t sure whether or not it involved someone in her family. “She said, ‘Somebody’s drowned over there.’ I kind of got nervous.”
Tina wanted to call her husband, but realized she had his phone. She stood up and walked closer, noticing that the park had put up white sheets. Then she realized it was one of her kids.
It turns out that London had a heart condition, of which the family was unaware.
“The day before she had been doing flips in the air,” Tina told The Sun.
London was taken to the hospital and put on life support after the February 2018 tragedy. She had already suffered severe brain damage due to the initial cardiac arrest. She suffered a second cardiac arrest while at the hospital.
“I would have taken her home with the brain damage but I’m glad she made that choice for us,” Tina told The Sun. “She fought for nine days in hospital … then she gained her angel wings.”
The family discovered London had a condition called Long QT syndrome. According to the Mayo Clinic, Long QT syndrome causes a fast, chaotic heartbeat that can lead to fainting, seizures, or even death if the heartbeat doesn’t regulate itself fast enough.
Those who suffer from the condition can still live normal, active lives, and even compete in sports.
