STUART, Fla — It’s a great day for the pickleball players at Halpatiokee Park.
“I think all of us are so relieved,” said pickleball player Candace Cooney.
They’ve been fighting to get automated external defibrillators (AEDs) where they play.
“It’s a sense of security and safety that is something we’ve been waiting for for a while,” said Cooney.
It's been one year since Melanie Hopkins’ husband Sam collapsed on the court and died.
“Very devastating for us, for my girls and I, but I think what was really tremendous was how traumatizing it was for the folks on the pickleball court that day,” said Hopkins.
Cooney was there and she says it’s a moment she will never forget.
“There was a nurse and a doctor on scene. They were administering CPR and somebody yelled, 'Go get an AED,'” she said. “There was no AED in the park.”
Hopkins said, “This may or may not have saved Sam’s life but at least they would have had something to try.”
Region Martin County
After tragedy, residents took action to prevent it from happening again
Now there’s 34 of them installed at 21 parks across Martin County. The impacts could be life-changing.
“For every one minute that CPR is not initiated with an AED, the person's chance of survival decreases by 10%,” said deputy fire chief Rodney Robertson.
The devices are stored in locked yellow waterproof boxes clearly labeled with the word AED. To open them you have to call 911. The dispatcher will provide you with a code to unlock it.
The AED is user-friendly with audio commands to walk you through how to use it.
Each unit cost the county about $3,000.
Although Hopkins lost her husband, she is glad to see it the incident sparked change.
"It's also sort of a nice way to remember Sam and be able to celebrate something that’s good that’s come of all this," she said.
