Burkhall Bouncing Back After Summer Health Scare

What was supposed to be a quiet few days off for senior forward Meredith Burkhall took a scary and life-altering turn. While No. 32 is on pace to be back on the court come November, the past two months have brought many physical challenges that have changed her life and perspective heading into the 2018-19 season.

Burkhall had just wrapped up the spring semester and returned to her Urbandale, Iowa home for a much-deserved break for the month of May. Just two days into the break she awoke to find herself unable to walk.

After her mother, Stephanie, rushed home, they went to a chiropractor believing she needed to be readjusted and that it was a back issue. It was clear rather quickly that wasn’t the issue so her mother drove her straight to the emergency room.

“I could barely stand up, my leg felt like it was falling asleep randomly,” Burkhall said of her leg when she arrived at the hospital.

Burkhall would go through hours of tests, and with doctors unable to find anything she was nearly sent home. The Burkhall’s decided it was best to stay at the hospital to continue to look into what was causing her immobility.  Finally, a late-night ultrasound at her parents’ request revealed the issue.

“I got back to the room after the ultrasound and I could barely get back in the bed. There were three people in white coats running into my room saying that I had this massive blood clot and that they needed to treat it immediately because it was heading north towards my lungs and heart,” Burkhall recalled.

She was immediately admitted into the hospital and a surgery was booked for the next morning.

To remove the blood clots, Burkhall was put through an excruciating four-day process where two catheters were inserted into her leg and medicine was injected into her to remove the clots, which took up 80 percent of the veins in her leg and stomach. The process also required a filter to be placed to prevent a clot from traveling to her heart and lungs. The worst part was that she was unable to move for four-straight days, with doctors and nurses entering the room every 10 minutes.

“You can’t move, you have to lay flat, you can’t sit up, you can’t move your arms, move your leg,” Burkhall said. “Everything was just flat. You’re in the Intensive Care Unit and you just can’t get up.”

The doctors had never done this process on someone as young as Burkhall, and she required constant supervision. After six days in the ICU she was moved to a regular room and allowed to walk.  However, complications arose when she began to walk as her heart rate shot into the 170s after taking just a few steps, which is typical of someone on a run. The spike prompted doctors to have to run an electrocardiogram to see what was happening. Fortunately they didn’t find anything, but it meant she would not be able to go home until her heart rate was improved.

Doctors were never quite able to pinpoint the cause of everything, but due to the severity, Burkhall was put on blood thinners for three months. Doctors let her know that had this happened 10 years ago, the consequences could have been more life-altering, with her no longer being allowed to play basketball. However, due to modern technology, Burkhall was given a chance at a full recovery.

In total, she would spend 12 days in the hospital before returning to her parents’ home.

However, she wasn’t out of the woods yet, as she would now have to begin a long recovery process. Upon returning from the hospital she was still unable to move around and was even relegated to a walker for two and a half weeks and crutches for several days after. Her quick turnaround impressed the doctors, who were unsure what to give her for a timetable as most people with this condition never are able to get back to 100 percent. However, given her age and fitness level, and her swift improvement it seemed it would be possible.

Burkhall credits an amazing support system for helping keep her spirits up. Constant texts, snaps and visits from her teammates, coaches and support staff helped her get through the long hospital stay and continual recovery process. Her parents also never left her side, with both spending nearly every night at the hospital. She also had a dedicated team of nurses who spent many hours with her and her family. They became invested in her recovery, and even promised to come to a game this season to see her in action.

As for the future, Burkhall is not yet cleared for contact, but she is able to practice and participate in most workouts. She is optimistic she will be one of the first to make a 100 percent recovery. She has also been cleared to travel with the team for the upcoming trip to Costa Rica, but will not be able to compete in the games. She will also need to wear compression leggings on all flights and during workouts to help with blood flow.

The experience was life changing for Burkhall, who says it gave her a different perspective on life.

“Sometimes when I was laying there I’d be like, ‘this isn’t even about getting back for the season. This is about being healthy in my life,’” she said. “You never know what can just change in a day. Literally in 48 hours I went from having a tight back to emergency surgery. You never know what can happen in the blink of an eye. Do what you want to do every day because you never know what can come in your way or stop you because I did not expect that.”