There was nothing wrong with Jhaniele Fowler-Reid's heart.
It was everybody else's hearts which skipped a beat when news got around the star shooter was being rested for the opening half of the Steel's 60-44 loss to the Firebirds in Invercargill on Sunday night.
Turns out the 24-year-old has rheumatic heart disease but that is not the reason she sat out the first two quarters.
The towering 1.98m shooter toured England with Jamaica late last year and suffered a bout of pneumonia.
She had barely recovered from that when she arrived back in New Zealand for pre-season training with the Steel.
A couple of weeks later, the Steel went to Melbourne for the ''Summer Shootout''. She had pushed too hard too soon and fell ill again.
With her pre-existing heart condition, the medical team decided it was in her best interests if she was eased rather than rushed back into her workload.
So, Steel coach Janine Southby opted to start with Te Paea Selby-Rickit and introduce Fowler-Reid from the bench at halftime.
''I'm not struggling,'' Fowler-Reid said, when asked yesterday about her health.
''The doctor just wanted to have me under watch just to make sure this time I get better, rather than pushing me right back into it.
''But I've been cleared for training and everything. I can go 100%.''
Essentially, Fowler-Reid had only been training at full capacity for a week before Sunday's match against the Firebirds. But with a few more weeks of hard training, she should be back to her best.
She had a stunning debut season, breaking the ANZ Championship record for the most goals in a match when she amassed 65 against the Tactix in round two last year.
She repeated that effort in the return fixture against the Tactix and also scored 60 goals against the Pulse.
The Steel's prospects, to a large extent, hinge on Fowler-Reid recapturing last season's form, and her heart condition should not be a factor.
Her health issues began when she was 7 and caught ''strep throat'' - a throat infection caused by streptococcus bacteria. It was not treated properly and developed into rheumatic fever, then rheumatic heart disease.
She might have a damaged heart valve but the rest of her heart is full.
Her husband, Andre Reid, and their daughter, Drehannah, have joined her in New Zealand. Andre will return home but the couple's 4-year-old daughter will remain in Invercargill with her for the season.
''Drehannah will be well taken care of [when I'm training and playing] because there is a big family down here, so there is nothing for me to worry about.
''She is coping pretty well. The weather is maybe getting to her just a little bit but she is coping.''
• Despite the Central Pulse leading the Adelaide Thunderbirds for nearly the entire game at the Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua last night, a Carla Borrego shot in the final seconds saw ANZ Championship titleholder steal a 45-44 victory, APNZ reported.
The Pulse had a one-goal lead going in to the final minute, but when goal shoot Irene van Dyk had a shot to give it a two-goal buffer she was called for a hold and the Thunderbirds took their chance.
Adelaide Thunderbirds 45 (Carla Borrego 32/37, Erin Bell 13/17), Central Pulse 44 (Donna Wilkins 25/28 Irene van Dyk 19/23). Quarter scores: 1st 10-14, 2nd 22-24, 3rd 34-35.
