- May 2, 2024
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Two tennis players saved the life of another Friday, Sept. 16, at the Palm Coast Tennis Center.
During a normal tennis match on one of the courts, Ed Grimes went for a shot and collapsed to the ground. Nearby players ran over to him, and, noting he was unconscious with no pulse, immediately sprang into action.
Kay Forsberg, who happened to be waiting for her tennis game to begin, saw Grimes on the ground and immediately began administering CPR.
Pushing on his chest with all her might, Forsberg sang, “Staying Alive," to keep her composure and maintain the rhythm of her compressions.
“I never thought I’d have to use my CPR skills, but I’m sure glad I took a class so that I knew what to do,” Forsberg said.
“I just wanted everyone to stay calm,” said Cathy Giles, a retired nurse who coincidentally happened to be at the tennis center for the first time in six weeks.
She raced for an automated external defibrillator and was able to shock Grimes back to life. Paramedics arrived within minutes to stabilize him and take him to the hospital.
But it certainly wasn’t just another day at the tennis center.
“Ironically, we had the best people on the court that day to do the best job,” Giles said. “Everyone was at the right place at the right time.”
Grimes is alive and being cared for at Florida Hospital Flagler and an Ormond Beach medical facility, thanks to the combined heroic efforts of two women, along with assistance from a compassionate group of tennis players, including Lou Mesceri, Dal Moore, Jim Gagliano, Rosemary Finn, Nick Rotella and staff assistant Nancy Leafy.
