Who is Jayden Goss? Arizona State student diagnosed with rare heart defect as he struggled to speak after stroke
TEMPE, ARIZONA: In an expected turn of events, 21-year-old Arizona State University student Jayden Goss's stroke diagnosis in January seems to have been a hidden blessing, emphasizing the precious nature of life.
Recounting the incident, he shared that he was waiting in line to take a seat in the student section for an Arizona State University basketball game when a frightening episode occurred. "It just hit me. I zoned out, and I couldn't talk," he explained.
Life's unpredictability became evident in that moment for Jayden, prompting reflection on the significance of every moment.
Jayden Goss reveals he was 'pretty scared'
Reportedly, Goss found himself unable to articulate simple words, initially attributing the difficulty to anxiety.
To test this hypothesis, he attempted to order a drink at a concession stand, but when asking for Powerade, he found himself repeatedly stuttering on the letter P.
This episode persisted for about 15 minutes and he explained, "I was pretty scared. I know my dad could tell when I called him and was finally able to talk, that I was pretty scared."
In his quest for answers, Jayden consulted various doctors and eventually learned that he had suffered a stroke.
The revelation left him in disbelief, heightened by the uncertainty surrounding the origin of the stroke at the time.
"I couldn't believe it, honestly. And not knowing where it came from at the time—I was scared of what it would become because it was scary," he expressed.
What was Jayden Goss's diagnosis?
Jayden Goss' diagnosis unveiled a rare combination of three congenital heart defects that had been present since his childhood, unknown to Goss and his parents.
Phoenix Children’s achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first hospital in Arizona to receive accreditation for the care of adults with congenital heart disease.
After the January incident, Goss recounted the challenges he faced in locating hospitals that could assist him.
Eventually, he found a dedicated team at Phoenix Children's Hospital that delved deeper into his condition, leading to a significant revelation about his health.
Dr Wayne Franklin, the Co-Director of the Center for Heart Care and Division Chief of Cardiology at Phoenix Children’s, shed light on the prevalence of heart disease as the most common birth defect, affecting 8 out of 1,000 babies.
However, he emphasized the rarity of Goss's specific defect, identifying it as the most uncommon form of atrial septal defect - holes in the top chamber of the heart.
Dr Franklin elucidated that the hole in Goss's chamber allowed for the mixing of red and blue blood cells.
"If you have a little clot on the blue blood side, and it goes over to the red blood side, that clot can then go into the body and cause a stroke," explained Dr Franklin, underscoring the potential complications associated with the particular nature of Goss's heart defects.