I didn’t smoke or drink—then I had a cardiac arrest at 25

Being healthy has always been a priority for me as I made sure to lead a fit and active lifestyle. A few years ago, after quitting the gym to save money, I decided to take up running instead. I thrived on that runner’s high and loved feeling so strong while taking care of my body.

Back in 2024, I was not training for anything, I just enjoyed running and exercising. Once I found a routine I could sustain, I found that it helped keep me balanced and motivated every time I donned my sneakers.   

I never imagined that the activity that helped me stay active would also leave me clinically dead.

In June 2024, I was living in Seoul, South Korea, and I loved exploring the city on foot as it gave me a chance to see everything in a different way.

I remember getting a bagel for breakfast before heading out to run 5 kilometers [3 miles]. I usually run alone, but my boyfriend wanted to join me that day—thankfully so. We grabbed some water bottles because it was over 85 degrees outside, and we planned to run to the Han River. Everything seemed fine until we got to the last 500 meters [third of a mile] of the route.

I told my boyfriend that I just could not run any further, and then everything went blank.

Instead of making it to the river, I suddenly collapsed without warning 4 kilometers [2.5 miles] in. My boyfriend caught me before I hit the ground and he then immediately started CPR, which he continued for seven whole minutes. Another blessing was that a bystander who rushed in to help just happened to be an off-duty nurse. They did everything they could to revive me until the ambulance arrived.

I was clinically dead for seven minutes, and the emergency services had to shock me three times to get my heart started again. After that, I was transported to the nearest hospital, which, luckily, was only 10 minutes away.

I cannot remember a lot of the aftermath and the time I spent in hospital as I experienced short-term memory loss. Although I do believe I received multiple CT scans, an ECG, ultrasound, MRI and an X-ray. I eventually learned that I suffered a cardiac arrest at the age of 25. I don’t smoke, never drink alcohol, have no heart conditions and was trying to stay healthy by running. 

Doctors cannot be sure why this happened to me; they could only determine that I pushed myself too much while running. I went beyond my limits, because, even though I was tired and slightly dehydrated, it was the mental state that ultimately failed me.

When I found out that I was clinically dead for seven minutes, I could not believe it. I didn’t feel dead; it was almost as if I drifted into a sleep. Once I regained my memory around five days later, I started to spiral into a deep depression because of what happened. I developed post-traumatic stress disorder, and even just going outside for a walk was daunting.

Having a heart attack at 25 was difficult to accept, but that will forever be my reality. It took me a while to come to terms with, but, on the first anniversary of my cardiac arrest, I accomplished a great mindset shift. I called it “my re-birthday” and I managed to train for a 5-kilometer run, the exact distance that previously killed me.

Ever since I completed that, I never looked back.

I recently completed the 2026 London Marathon and, suffice it to say, that required me to do a lot of running over the last year. Training for the marathon was no mean feat, but it felt monumental when I finally crossed that finish line.

I have tried to turn that experience into a positive one because I now live with more intention. I am more open to challenges, opportunities and no longer afraid of death. I actually think it’s a luxury to live a fulfilled life, and that’s what I aim to do. So now I never go to sleep angry, and I make sure my loved ones know how much I appreciate them.

I was incredibly lucky to survive because only 1 in 10 people survive cardiac arrests and manage to leave the hospital in the U.K. CPR is the reason I am still alive, and more people would survive if they too received CPR, as well as fast defibrillation. I hope to use my experience to encourage people to learn CPR for others while also living intentionally for your own sake.

I do not wish to scare people, but I want to spread the more-positive message of why I survived. I am still healthy and active, and, although I sometimes wish I was in better shape, I have a newfound appreciation for my body and what it does for me every single day.

Nowadays, with the increase of misinformation, I want to stay true to my experience and what I know. People are quick to judge my lifestyle, diet and exercise history, but, ultimately, no one knows for certain why I suffered a cardiac arrest. It doesn’t really matter to me why it happened; I am just grateful to still be here.

Becca Travis, 26, is based in London, in the U.K., where she works as an apprentice at YouTube. Following her experience, she has become an advocate for CPR awareness and the risks of cardiac arrest, even in young people. In April 2026, she completed the London Marathon, proving to herself that she is capable of anything.