A game of pickleball at the Center of Anna Maria Island turned to tragedy June 23 when a center member suffered a heart attack in the gym and died at Blake Medical Center in Bradenton.
Roger Nigg, 65, was a longtime visitor who recently retired and moved full time to Anna Maria, according to executive director Kristen Lessig.
During a game of pickleball, Nigg reportedly started experiencing the symptoms of a heart attack and collapsed.
Nikkiah Jaworski, who was staffing the front desk, called 911, while operations director Chris Culhane brought an automated emergency defibrillator from the second floor to the gym, Lessig said.
Nigg’s wife, nurse practitioner Justine Preis, was present and monitoring him, Lessig said, as well as Dr. Carl Pearman, who also was playing pickleball.
Lessig said CPR was delayed because Nigg still appeared to have natural breath and a heartbeat. She said Preis began performing CPR as Manatee County EMTs arrived. EMS was on the scene within 10 to 15 minutes and transported Nigg to Blake.
Lessig commended her staff’s response and added that everyone on staff received CPR training June 28, two months earlier than the past year, to include the summer staff.
Preis also was hospitalized following her husband’s death, but was discharged by June 29.
— Bianca Benedí