MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — When COVID hit in 2020, Melanie Hopkins said her husband Sam became a huge fan of pickleball.
“He watched professional pickleball players to learn better form," Melanie Hopkins said. "He was dedicated to perfecting his game."
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Sam Hopkins would play multiple times a week at Halpatiokee Park. But last summer, Sam Hopkins collapsed on the court.
“When he went down, everybody did everything they could to save him," Melanie Hopkins said. "They started CPR, they called for the ambulance. In my mind they were heroes, but they probably don’t feel like that."
Sam Hopkins passed at 56.
Candace Cooney was there that day and is looking to make a difference. With no automated external defibrillator on site the day Sam Hopkins died, she is leading the charge to get them stored in the parks.
More than 120 pickleball players raised enough money to purchase three AEDs and one player is responsible for bringing them to the park each day. The problem then is they’re not available 24/7.
“Not for use only by pickleball players, they have national softball and soccer tournaments here," Cooney said. "There are people walking their dogs, jogging, biking... It could happen to anybody."
Cooney went before the county commission last fall to share her concerns.
“We want to work toward a solution that works toward everybody in our community," Assistant County Administrator George Stokus said. "Not just a specific demographic or a specific user of our parks."
Stokus said the county has to take into account potential vandalism and liability issues.
”The last thing we want is there to be an AED in our parks and it not work at the right time," Stokus added.
While there is no guarantee an AED would have made a difference for Sam Hopkins, Melanie Hopkins wants the option more readily available.
“Sam might have been saved. I’m not saying that for sure," Hopkins said. "I’m not saying that for sure but I know they would have used it, they would have tried."
Many pickleball players said they will show up on Jan. 31 at 6:30 p.m. at the Blake Library at a Martin County parks and recreation master plan public workshop to share their concerns.