NBC 7’s Shellye Leggett spoke with the woman and the off duty correctional officer who helped save her life.
Imagine going to the tennis courts to play a few matches with some friends and the next thing you know, you’re waking up in the hospital. That’s what happened to a San Diego woman, Nancy Willis, who went into cardiac arrest at the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club on Dec. 19, 2022.
It was just another off day for California Department of Corrections Officer Yanira Hernandez. She went to play tennis at the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club, but things quickly turn into a life-or-death situation.
“I just heard commotion. I heard commotion,” Officer Hernandez said. “I looked over there again, I just thought, 'There is something going on over there,' so I just went into mission mode.
Her quick actions ultimately helped save another person’s life.
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“It’s better to help. It’s better to do something than not,” Hernandez said.
For Hernandez and the team at Fairbanks Ranch Country Club, they remember the incident like it just happened.
“She did compressions, and I did the AED,” said Cody Layton, who was the manager on site when the incident happened.
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But Willis, the player at the center of all of this, tells a different story.
“I don’t know if I felt scared, I don’t think I did. I think I just went down,” Willis said.
She said everything leading up to that moment is still a complete blur.
“I just got up, drove to the tennis court. I was excited to play. I remember nothing of the day itself,” Willis said.
She woke up in the hospital a few days later.
“My family was there, and I was very confused and asked them what happened. When they told me I had a cardiac arrest on the tennis court my first response was, ‘That’s crazy,’” Willis said.
Someone else that was there for her in the hospital was Hernandez.
“I wanted to make sure I was there with her family and friends,” Hernandez said.
And for her heroism and fast thinking, Officer Hernandez got an award. The Bronze Star Medal, for saving a life without placing yourself in peril.
“I would not be here today if it weren’t for Yani and for Cody,” Willis said.
Since that incident, the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club and their parent company said they’ve added more AEDs around each campus across California and Oregon and have trained more than 4,000 of its staff members to use an AED and perform CPR.
