St. Pete pickleball player reunites with lifeguards who used AED to save his life

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A Bay Area man spent his Friday evening thanking the lifeguards, fire rescue crews, hospital staff, and others who stepped in to help save his life after he collapsed while playing a game of pickleball.

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue says Stank Stankovich was playing a game on March 13th when he fell to the ground. Friends and bystanders immediately called 911 and ran to the nearby pool to alert the lifeguards on duty.

They sprang into action, performing CPR and delivering two shocks from the AED, after which Mr. Stankovich's heart began beating again, and he regained consciousness.

"Every day is a blessing for all of us, and we never know. You just pack up and head off to play pickleball one day and find yourself. When I called my wife Laura here, she said, Are you kidding?" Stankovich said.

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He's thankful for the training of the lifeguards and the nearby AED that saved his life.

Device used to save Stankovich

"I think it's good that it happened at this court because that means that lifeguards are there and, the pool is there, the AED is there. Some of the courts don't have them. So maybe that's something we can work on or I can help make my mission," Stankovich said.

Those lifeguards who stepped in say they were glad they could be there and happy to see Mr. Stankovich is out of the hospital and recovering so well.

"It was really just a chaotic situation. I honestly didn't have much to really think about in the moment," Ozzy Figueroa said. "This was my first big situation at hand, very glad that it was a great outcome from it, but just shows that the training does produce a good outcome."

Training and aid his family says they're thankful for each day.

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"It's such a blessing. I mean, I look at him every day, and I'm like, this could be burying my husband instead of going on a cruise on Sunday. I could be preparing to do that," Laura Stankovich, his wife, said.

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue crews say this incident points to the importance of being CPR trained. They offer a CPR and public access Automated External Defibrillation (AED) program that is available to the community.

All courses are taught by a Firefighter/Paramedic from the department and are approximately 3 hours long. Call 727-893-7076 or register online by clicking here.