Florida Division - United States Professional Tennis Association

Tennis for Life – A Survivor’s StoryKelly BuffaloeIn March of 2009, Shawn Buffaloe began his journey toget healthy, lose weight and exercise more. It all startedbecause he made a commitment to go to the PhilmontScout Reservation and backpack 75 miles with our son.He wanted to enjoy the trip and knew without a strict investmentin exercise and diet, he would suffer through it.So he began to train by backpacking or running throughthe Eagle Harbor neighborhood and cross training withtennis, as we have come to love to play and compete inthis sport at Eagle Harbor. Shawn began to hit at leastonce a week for one hour with Eagle Harbor Head ProBill Chapman to work on endurance and stamina.Shawn’s training proved to be very successful. ByAugust of 2009, he had lost over 30 pounds and felt hewas in the best physical shape he had been in since hiscollege days. His tennis game was really improving, aswell as the addedbenefit of stress management from his highly demandingjob running a 20 physician cardiology practice in Jacksonville.As a bonus trip, he went bow hunting Elk inSeptember, backpacking and camping another 70 milesin rugged Montana on the Fort Peck Reservoir.On the morning of June 3, 2010, almost a year afterbeginning his training, Shawn had a cup of coffee andheaded to the Eagle Harbor tennis courts to hit with BillChapman for an hour. After 25 minutes of hitting, Shawncollapsed on the court. Bill started CPR immediately andhad other staff call EMS. In only what can be describedby his Doctor as the Perfect Storm of events, Shawnsuffered Sudden Cardiac Arrest with V-Fib without showingany early warning signs. Shawn subsequently hademergency triple bypass surgery later that day.Since Shawn’s Heart Attack in June, Eagle Harbor hassince added an AED to its pro shop. We are so thankfulthat Eagle Harbor Tennis staff was committed to takingcare of their patrons by training in CPR. As a result,Eagle Harbor Tennis now has an AED on site as well asan AED at the Pool and Golf Clubhouse. I fully recommendthat other tennis programs adopt similar policies.In this touching photo, Bill is on the right with the plaidshorts and Shawn Buffaloe is on the left. This is the firsttime Shawn went back on the court after his heart attackand he and Bill is showing him the spot on the court whereShawn collapsed.Bill Chapman had only been recently certified in CPR,one month prior to Shawn’s Cardiac Arrest. By startingCPRimmediately, without hesitation, and with EMS arrivingwith an AED (automated external defibrillator), Shawnsurvived a heart attack that less than 5% of people outsidea hospital survive. Without immediate CPR & AEDshock, a heartbeat is difficult to start back and the longera person has no pulse, the greater the risk for death orliving with a subsequent brain injury. Shawn has had nopermanent damage from his heart attack.It is truly a miracle Shawn has survived! Due to Shawn’straining with both Bill Chapman for over a year and hiscurrent fitness level when he arrested, Shawn had thepotential for survival. But it is truly only due to the heroicefforts of Bill Chapman that Shawn even had a chancefor another breath in his lungs or a beat of his heart.Without CPR, there would be no survivor story to tell.