A Villager offered thanks to fellow pickleballers who saved his life after experiencing a medical emergency at Churchill Recreation Center earlier this month.
The incident happened on the morning of June 1 when Jim Bortz, who resides in the Village of Ashland, was playing pickleball and went down. Fellow pickleballers feared Bortz was experiencing a heart attack as he was not breathing and they immediately performed CPR on him.
The men performing CPR were George Hand of the Village of Lynnhaven, Dick Gillissee of the Village of Ashland and Dan Thetford of the Village of Lynnhaven. Tom Randel, who resides in the Village of Winifred, immediately called 911 and other residents contacted recreation staff members.
Gary Spence, of the Churchill Recreation Center staff, brought and hooked up Bortz to the defibrillator.
According to the Villages Public Safety Department, a rescue unit responded in “less than 4 minutes” after receiving the 911 dispatch, Villager Stanley Golove said. Bortz was then taken to the hospital by an ambulance.
The Villages Public Safety Department said that Bortz would not have made it if it were not for the residents who gave him CPR.
It was established at the hospital that Jim was not suffering from a heart attack, but rather an artery that was 99 percent blocked. Bortz came back home several days later.
Bortz and his wife Joan this past Thursday thanked the residents who saved his life and friends who supported the couple during the ordeal.
They did this at Churchill Recreation Center, where the frightening episode took place.
