Patient Stories

Kindel & Kathryn VanCronkhite

When Kindel VanCronkhite's phone rang at 5 a.m. on August 9, 1999, she knew something was terribly wrong. Her parents were on the line, telling her that Kindel's 24-year-old identical twin, Courtney, had been rushed to the hospital after suffering a cardiac episode. When Kindel arrived at the hospital, doctors told the family that Courtney's chances of survival were slim. Twenty-four hours later, Courtney died of a rare genetic heart disease called Long QT syndrome.

Kindel and her sister, Kathryn, had also been diagnosed with Long QT, but had experienced only minor symptoms like a rapid heartbeat. While many Long QT patients respond to medication, some cases require pacemakers or defibrillators to treat the condition. Courtney had been taking beta-blocking drugs for more than a year, but they were not effective in her case.

After Courtney's death, doctors decided to implant a St. Jude Medical defibrillator in both Kindel and Kathryn. "Doctors didn't want to take any chances with me since Courtney and I were genetically identical," said Kindel. One week after Courtney's death, Kindel and Kathryn received St. Jude Medical® ICDs at Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas.  This life-saving medical device detects erratic heartbeats and shock the heart back into a normal rhythm.

"Sudden death is so devastating to a family," said Kathryn. "The ICDs offer us some measure of security that our family won't have to go through a tragedy like Courtney's death again. I am always aware of the device in my chest and think how lucky we are to have such great technology. It's like having a medical team in your chest 24 hours a day." said Kindel.

"Our lives have forever been changed by this deadly disease," said Kindel. "We want to educate people on Long QT and raise awareness so that other young lives can be spared. If we can help by saving just one other person's life, then Courtney will not have died in vain."