Although it seemed like just another clear, sunny day at the Golf Learning Center, August 20, 2012 was anything but normal.
In an unusual move, Park District employee Natt Lapsley decided to step out of the office that day to take photographs at the Learning Center for an upcoming presentation. Also breaking with routine, Julie Rada agreed to stay at the facility after her son’s golf lesson was complete so that her son could be in some of the photographs. And golf pro Dustin Martin didn’t usually teach on Mondays, but his schedule had been altered that week. As it turned out, the abnormal habits of these three individuals that day put them in exactly the right place at the right time to save the life of Mike Beneventi.
An avid golfer, Mike could be found with a club in his hand most days of the week during the golf season. On August 20, he was practicing sand shots from a bunker at the Learning Center when Natt approached him and asked if he could take some pictures for a Park District project. That’s about the last thing Mike remembers before waking up in the hospital. He was stunned to learn the details of how good Samaritans worked together to save his life.
“I was taking pictures of Mike and the next thing you know he just collapsed into the sand,” said Natt. He immediately yelled to Julie Rada for help. As fate would have it, Julie had recently completed CPR and AED instruction at her place of employment, and the training took over.
“I ran inside to call 911 from a landline,” Julie said, “and also asked for the AED from the wall in case it was needed – just as I was taught.” When she reached the bunker, Natt—who was unfamiliar with lifesaving techniques—was on his cell phone with a 911 dispatcher and attempting mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Julie jumped into the sand and immediately began chest compressions.
In the meantime, golf pro Dustin Martin had noticed the commotion and intervened with the AED. “I fired up the machine, got the pads attached to Mike and it gave him a jolt,” said Dustin, who goes through 6-8 hours of training every two years. This initial shock started Mike’s heart and paramedics soon arrived to take Mike to the hospital. Doctors later confirmed Mike had suffered cardiac arrest from a narrowed artery that suddenly became completely blocked—a condition aptly labeled the “widow maker.” The chances of surviving it are slim.
“It was amazing to me that the right people were there at just the right time,” said Mike’s wife Sandy, “and that they were willing to help. If they had not been there…where would we be?”
As a small token of appreciation, Sandy gave each of the individuals involved in saving her husband’s life an hourglass. The sand represents the bunker where the incident took place. But as the grains fall through the chamber, they also symbolize the precious time these heroes gave to the Beneventis. “We live in the moment,” Sandy says, “and let little things go.” Her husband Mike agrees. “I have a second chance…and I don’t want to waste it.”
Photo courtesy of Spirit Photography and video courtesy of Tim Sotter Productions.
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