Umpire who collapsed at baseball game saved by bystanders

Rudy Lopez poses alongside Lakeysha Pack, Walter Patton, Isaac Delgadillo, and Downey High Staff who were recognized for their role in saving his life. (Photo courtesy Downey Unified School District)

DOWNEY – It was a beautiful day for baseball. Downey High School was playing against visiting Millikan, umpire Rudolph “Rudy” Lopez was calling balls and strikes behind home plate.

“We were in about the fifth inning when I started to settle in to make my next pitch call, and everything went dark,” said Lopez.

Lopez had collapsed and was unresponsive.

The 71-year-old has dealt with heart issues for 20 years. Along with suffering from atrial fibrillation and diabetes, he has endured “six or seven heart attacks.”

On Oct. 25 on the Downey High School baseball field, it would take a group effort and some life-saving technology to bring him back.

Lakeysha Pack, a NICU nurse at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, was watching the game and chatting with other Millikan parents when Lopez went down. She, along with Walter Patton, a Santa Monica Fire Captain and EMT who was also attending the game, and Richard Quinonez, a Downey Baseball Booster Club Parent, immediately jumped into action.

“I immediately ran over and saw that he was having a seizure,” said Pack. “So, I asked the others, because I didn’t even know who was around, just help me turn him to his side. I took his shirt, put it over his head, they helped take off the vest, and I immediately started doing CPR.”

Pack and Patton administered CPR while Quinonez assisted. Meanwhile, Isaac Delgadillo, a 17-year-old Downey High School senior who had just pitched in the game, ran for help.

Delgadillo described the scene as “a panic.”

“I had seen two parents from Millikan, they came down,” said Delgado. “I’m in the Sports Med[icine] class, so it kind of clicked in, what are the steps, what happens.

“I knew obviously CPR, but with CPR comes the AED; that’s one of the most important things to increase their survival, so I thought I need to go get that.”

An AED, or automated external defibrillator, is a portable electronic medical device that can detect the heart’s rhythm, giving a corrective electrical shock if necessary.

Delgadillo fetched the AED and Downey Athletic Trainer Chris Zessau.

Pack and Patton worked on Lopez for 20 minutes. He would be shocked with the AED at least once before EMTs were able to arrive and take over; he’d be shocked four times in total before being stabilized.

Lopez started to come to in the ambulance. When he arrived, three stents were added to the seven he already had in his heart.

Still, and rather bafflingly, doctors and nurses told Lopez that “he looked good.” He asked “compared to what?”

“They said to me people who are shocked usually don’t get shocked four times, and normally, in normal conditions, after the third time they wouldn’t continue to make attempts,” said Lopez. “So, I was very fortunate. It was a blessing; it was a miracle to be honest with you.”

Lopez says that he believes “those people in the stands were placed there for my benefit.”

Pack, Patton, Delgado, and the other Downey High staff who were involved in the incident were all recognized by the Downey Unified School District at its board meeting in December, reuniting with Lopez as well.

Pack says she is “grateful for the outcome.”

“God works in mysterious ways,” said Pack. “God puts you where you need to be, and God said you need to be here this day because they’re going to need you.

“I think everything that happened that day was through the work of God, and he used me to perform his work. I’m just glad that I was there and I’m glad it was a good outcome, and [Lopez] is able to be with his kids and grandkids to this day.”

Delgadillo said the incident emphasized the importance of AEDs.

Lakeysha Pack, Rudy Lopez, and Walter Patton (photo courtesy Rudy Lopez)

“You never know what anything could lead to; you wouldn’t think from a baseball game there would be a heart attack, but it could happen any time, any place,” said Delgadillo. “To be able to have [an AED] within running distance, and you can get it back within a minute, it’s beyond important.”

Of course, the obviously most thankful is Lopez, who says he’s “feeling fantastic” and “living every moment of today, one day at a time.”

“I’ve been given a second chance, and a new opportunity, and I am so thankful every day for it,” said Lopez. “I will do everything I can to make sure that I use it for the glory of God.

Lopez will return to Downey next month, when he is scheduled to umpire another ball game.