By Alyssa Racosky
When Hayden first began experiencing symptoms in the August before seventh grade, he thought they were nothing more than “head rushes.”
Dizziness, vision loss and shakiness became a routine, but things escalated dramatically during basketball tryouts. After an intense workout, his face turned red and purple, and his heart raced uncontrollably. That night, on the eve of his first day at a new middle school, Hayden found himself in the emergency room. He left with a heart monitor but no real answers.
In the weeks following, his symptoms intensified. The once straight-A student and dedicated athlete struggled to focus in class and felt drained after the simplest tasks. On the court, he was no longer the player he had always been. Doctors ran tests and guessed myocarditis, even allergic reactions, but nothing stuck.
“I felt like I was living in hospitals, but no one could tell me what was happening,” he recalls.
Hope finally came after a five-and-a-half-hour drive from New Jersey to Kennedy Krieger Institute. There, Hayden met Dr. Christina Kokorelis, who approached his case with compassion. She listened closely, ordered a tilt table test and confirmed what others had missed: Hayden had postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a type of dysautonomia.
With the right care…you can take your life back.” – Hayden
POTS symptoms are caused by a faulty autonomic nervous system, which regulates involuntary functions like circulation, explains Dr. Kokorelis, who directs the Institute’s POTS clinic. Each case of POTS is unique, and treatment is individualized.
For Hayden, now 17, the diagnosis was life-changing. Increased fluid intake, salt pills, electrolytes and eventually medication helped reduce his symptoms and restore his strength. Within weeks, he felt himself returning to the game he loved. His mom, Marisa, says the moment was equally transformative. “It was like taking my first real breath of relief,” she says. “We finally had answers.”
Now thriving again, Hayden has set his sights beyond the basketball court. Through his TikTok content and website “Rise With POTS,” he’s determined to create the resources and community he once longed for. He’s even started what is believed to be the first in-person POTS meet-up group in New Jersey since the pandemic. His dream is to be a doctor and specialist in the very condition that once threatened to derail his life.
“I want others to know they’re not alone,” Hayden says. “With the right care, you can rise above your symptoms and take your life back.”