Heart Attack on the Field

April 1, 2023

By Bill Weaver

     MESA, Az. – Sometimes, you never know what to expect when a new teammate joins the team.  A case in point is what happened with the Ageless Wonders when they were playing a senior (60 and over) softball game at the Viewpoint RV and Golf Resort here back in November.

     As we were taking the field in the bottom of the first inning of our second game of a double header, our first baseman, Tim Miksovsky, collapsed backwards onto the ground. Seeing this, our new third baseman, Mark Wilson recognized immediately that Tim was having a heart incident.

     Luckily Mark had previous paramedic experience. This was Mark’s first day out with the new team. Welcome to the league Mark!

     Mark began CPR immediately and called for someone to get the AED (Automated External Defibrillator). He applied the pads to Tim’s chest and back and shocked him twice to get his heart back into rhythm. Because the AED was used within three minutes, Tim had a 70% chance of surviving even though he had no heartbeat for over three minutes.

     The Mesa city fire department arrived and after what seemed an eternity and took over to get Tim taken to the Banner Gateway Medical Center here. The next day, Tim was able to walk around his room and was pretty much back to normal. Well pretty normal for Tim anyway.

     A few days, later an pacemaker was surgically implanted.

     Tim is thankful for the quick response by Mark, which is why he will be able to play softball next fall season.

Mark Wilson (left) and Tim Miksovsky (right).

     Tim is active in Senior Softball USA, having played on numerous teams, most recently with the LPC 60s.

     Mesa Arizona senior parks, most 55 plus communities, and SSUSA run tournaments all have the AED device on hand. This is literally what saved Tim’s life.

     Many people have asked Tim why he continues to play when he almost went to the ‘big diamond in the sky’ playing softball. Tim’s response is, “Softball isn’t what gave me the heart attack (his second), softball is what saved me. Had I been anywhere else other than a hospital or a fire station, I wouldn’t be here today.”

     The people and the camaraderie that is built over the years playing this game we all love so much is priceless and in this case, it saved a life.

     Hopefully this will be a reminder of the importance of having an AED available and that there is someone nearby with medical experience.