Ivy’s football survival story catches the eyes of Australian sporting stars

Ivy Thrussell lives and breathes football, training around the clock with dreams of one day playing for the Matildas.

But during a match for her local club, that dream almost ended when the 15-year-old collapsed to the grass in cardiac arrest and was clinically dead on the pitch.

Two off-duty medical heroes used the club’s on-site defibrillator to save Ivy before she was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with a rare heart syndrome.

Her survival has sparked renewed calls for better medical equipment at local fields, with Andy Paschalidis from Heartbeat of Sport urging the government to fund defibrillators nationwide.

Now on the road to recovery, Ivy’s spirits have been buoyed by personal messages of support from Matildas stars Hayley Raso and Amy Harrison as she prepares to return to the pitch.

Watch the full story in the video player above.