Heart transplant doesnât discourage ASU freshman, it inspires her A heart transplant when she was 16 left Olivia Eisenhauer with a scar on her chest below her neck. She uses the adversity she has faced in her life to inspire others. (Source: Cronkite News) By Jake Santo | February 2, 2021 at 11:40 AM MST - Updated February 2 at 11:40 AM
PHOENIX â As she lay on the floor of the volleyball court, strangers pressing paddles against her chest and the color dissipating from her face, Olivia Eisenhauer fought for her life.
An eighth-grade student at the time, she was walking off the court of a summer volleyball competition in Shawnee, Kansas, when she suddenly and violently collapsed to the ground. As concerned onlookers and her parents stood beside her, they first believed it was nothing but a minor injury suffered from the normal grind of sport.