Caddy who collapsed at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am makes remarkable recovery at Community Hospital
Leo is very lucky to be here today, and that is in large part due to the actions of Sgt. Bunn and his timely transportation to the hospital.
—Dr. Gregory Spowart, Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery, Montage Medical Group
When Leo Lukenas collapsed on the 11th fairway during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February and suffered a 30-minute cardiac arrest, his prognosis was grim. Fewer than 10 percent of people who have a cardiac arrest outside a hospital survive, according to The American Heart Association. Each year, out-of-hospital cardiac arrests claim nearly 350,000 lives in the United States.
Thankfully, Lukenas collapsed next to Sgt. Kelly Bunn of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s office. Bunn immediately began performing CPR, continuing until paramedics arrived and transported Lukenas to Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula.
After receiving emergency care, Lukenas was moved to the hospital's Intensive Care Unit and was diagnosed with severe coronary artery disease. He underwent quadruple bypass surgery to restore blood flow to his heart, followed by cardiac rehabilitation therapy.
“Leo is very lucky to be here today, and that is in large part due to the actions of Sgt. Bunn and his timely transportation to the hospital," said Dr. Gregory Spowart, Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeon with Montage Medical Group. "Surviving cardiac arrest is rare, and Leo’s high spirits and fast recovery make his case even more of an outlier.”
Bunn’s actions, swift response from paramedics, and lifesaving care at Community Hospital, gave Lukenas a second chance at life.
“It seems like it was a bad thing that happened to me — it wasn't," Lukenas said. "It was a blessing in disguise...because I had a problem with my heart, and something was going to go wrong sooner or later."
At a Montage Health news conference, Lukenas had the opportunity to thank and embrace Bunn, along with the doctors, nurses, and paramedics who played a role in saving his life.
"The moment I will be most proud of is this moment, watching Leo not be in a hospital bed, being able to walk, talk, and move around," Bunn said. "There's a lot of emotions right now, but it's just a very proud moment for me to be sitting next to him in the company of all the people that helped him get to this point."
