Makena White, the 28-year-old girlfriend of PGA Tour Golfer Jake Knapp, tragically died on Friday, just as the Ryder Cup kicked off. While no cause of death has been given, details have now emerged about her health troubles.
White was reportedly going through heart problems prior to her demise. A post shared by the former medical sales representative, on X, on June 2, showed her keeping tabs on her boyfriend’s performance at the US Open Golf final qualifying tournament for the year.
“We’re dialed #GolfsLongestDay,” she had written, following it up with a post that showed her heart rate being tracked on an Apple Watch. It revealed she was facing tachycardia.
In May, she had shared that she suffered from a ‘heart defect’ that required her to have a monitoring equipment. “The irony of being at a cardiac surgery conference (for my job) while wearing a holter monitor for your own heart defect is pretty funny,” Makena had written on X.
Further, she reportedly insinuated in April that she’d undergone some sort of procedure.
What is tachycardia?
Tachycardia, as per Mayo Clinic, is when ‘a heart rate over 100 beats a minute’.
“Tachycardia may not cause any symptoms or complications. But sometimes it’s a warning of a medical condition that needs attention. Some forms of tachycardia can lead to serious health problems if left untreated. Such problems may include heart failure, stroke or sudden cardiac death,” they noted.
Reactions to Makena’s death
Knapp reacted to Makena’s death in a statement to Page Six, saying “Makena was such a thoughtful person whose selflessness toward others is something I will always appreciate…It’s an understatement to say how hard all of this is to process for everyone who knew Mak, especially her family and friends, who deserve privacy and respect during this difficult time.”
The news of Makena’s death was shared on her social media by a friend, who wrote “Hi everyone – this is Makena’s friend, writing with the heaviest heart to share that Makena passed away earlier this week. She is already so deeply missed by her Dad, her family, her friends, and of course by Nelly and Fergie. Makena was one of a kind. She had this rare way of making you feel special, and her huge heart was always overflowing with love. To be loved by Makena was a gift; one that came with endless laughter, so much joy, and a healthy sprinkling of chaos as we tried to keep up with her travel schedule. If you would like to honour Makena’s memory, donations to the Bruyère Brain Health & Memory Clinic or the Griffin Bell Endowment Fund would mean a lot. We love you Mak. We’ll miss you always, and we’ll be looking for you in the sunset.”
