“I remember my legs started to go numb and I could feel my heart beating rapidly,” Emilee Sparks recalls to PEOPLE

NEED TO KNOW

• Emilee Sparks collapsed at school in 2024 after downplaying symptoms tied to two serious heart conditions: Ebstein’s anomaly and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
• The then-high school senior was revived with CPR by school nurses and later learned she was in end-stage heart failure and needed a heart transplant to survive
• Emilee received a new heart in July 2025 and now encourages other young people with medical conditions to speak openly about their health and “never try to mask” symptoms

A South Carolina teen hid her serious heart condition from friends and teachers — until she collapsed at school in a terrifying and near-fatal incident.

Emilee Sparks of Summerville was born with Ebstein's anomaly, a rare congenital heart defect, as well as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic condition that stiffens the heart muscle and makes it harder to pump blood.

Emilee, 18, didn't want the people in her life to know she was different, so she told very few people about her condition and did what she could to mask her symptoms.

However, everything changed on a November day in 2024 when Emilee, then a 17-year-old high school senior, was rushing up a flight of stairs at school.

“I had incorporated a total of three rest breaks while walking to class, [but] that morning, I was running late and skipped one of my breaks,” she told PEOPLE exclusively. 

“When I was halfway up the stairs, I remember my legs started to go numb, and I could feel my heart beating rapidly. I had told myself: ‘Just make it to the top and you can take a break,' ” Emilee added.

Emilee said that she made it to the top of the stairs, but her vision and hearing began to fade and she was unconscious within seconds.

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School nurses administered life-saving CPR while waiting for emergency services to arrive. Emilee also experienced “seizure-like” activity and stopped breathing for several minutes.

“I woke up not only confused because it was the first time anything like this happened, but I was still gasping for air and in a state-of-mind panic,” she recalled. “I remember laying on the cold floor, seeing all of my school administration, my nurses, some teachers and school security and officers as well,” she continued.

She added, "I will never forget that moment. Everyone looked scared. I was scared. but their pain hurt me more.”

Emilee said that she and her parents later learned she had experienced a cardiac incident. Doctors later informed her and her parents that she was in end-stage heart failure and would require a heart transplant to survive.

Emilee said that coming to terms with the diagnosis was not easy.

“Death is inevitable, but I was 17 and I had to fear death every day for eight months until I received my heart transplant,” she told PEOPLE. "I had to retrain my brain, walk slowly and finally put myself first and give up the ‘tough girl' act.”

Emilee went on to say that she “felt a huge sense of relief” when she learned she was going to be evaluated for a transplant.

“I wasn't living like I could. I couldn't walk more than maybe 20 feet without my chest hurting,” she recalled.

However, she also said that coming to terms with her own potential mortality in the ensuing months — including making a will —  was scary.

“I had just turned 18. I graduated high school and had to make decisions most people don't have to make until much later in life,” Emilee said.

Emilee received her new heart on July 4, 2025.

“When it was transplant day I had a panic attack right before being rolled back into the operating room — that was my most fearful pre-transplant moment,” she said.

“After [the] transplant, I was even more fearful for the first three months. I was afraid to shower. I couldn't stand up for an extended amount of time. I had to adjust to a new life, I couldn't lift more than 5 lbs. or raise my arms above my head, and I couldn't drive. I love driving,” Emilee added.

Emilee said that the biggest lesson she has learned from her experience is “to persevere.”

“Push through the rough patches or the flare-ups and bad days. There is light at the end, but that doesn't mean you won't hit rough patches again,” she said.

She also is now urging other young people to “share” their health stories.

“Tell your friends, tell your teachers, tell your family — just talk about it,” Emilee said.

“When people know about your condition and how it affects you, not only does it take a huge weight off of you, but it also allows the people who care about you to understand you more. Don't ever try to mask your symptoms. If you need a break, take one,” she added.

Recently, Emilee was named one of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Class of Survivors for 2026 — something which she told PEOPLE “means so much to me.”

She added, “I have learned so much while also advocating for heart health and sharing my story in hopes to make others feel less alone. To play a role as a volunteer on the national level is definitely one of my proudest moments; I never thought I’d be doing something like this.”

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