Quick-Thinking Nurses Save Umpire After Cardiac Arrest

A dramatic turn of events unfolded during a local Victorian football match when umpire John Bonfadini, 68, suffered a cardiac arrest, collapsing on the field. Fortunately, the swift actions of a mother and daughter, both registered nurses, are being credited with saving his life.

The incident occurred during the Round 7 seniors match between Coldstream and Silvan. Georgia Ploegsma, who was at the game to support her partner and Coldstream captain Darcy Fritsch, was urged by him to assist the fallen umpire.

A Call to Action

“I was looking and had my leg over the fence ready to go, and then I heard… Darcy screaming ‘Georgia, quick, come onto the ground’,” Georgia recounted. Despite being in casual footwear, she immediately sprang into action.

“I just jumped the fence, I had slides on and couldn’t run so I kicked them off, chucked my can away and ran straight out to the middle,” Georgia continued.

Teamwork Under Pressure

Georgia’s mother, Rachel Ploegsma, who was also present at the game, heard the commotion and the call for a defibrillator. She too rushed to the field to offer her medical expertise.

“When I got to the middle my mum was there, she was on the other side of the field and heard someone call out for a defib so she ran out too,” Georgia explained. “We got to the middle at the same time, looked at each other and were like, ‘sh**, we need to do something here’.”

Upon reaching Mr. Bonfadini, the nurses observed his critical condition. “He was blue, not breathing,” Georgia stated. “Mum tried to find a pulse and couldn’t, we just looked at each other and were like ‘nup, we need to do this’.”

Life-Saving Intervention

The mother-daughter pair immediately began administering CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The arrival of a defibrillator proved crucial in their efforts.

“I started CPR on him and mum was doing mouth to mouth, and then the defib got brought out to us,” Georgia recalled. “I didn’t even remember what was going on around me, I was just working so hard to save someone’s life and when he took that break it was ‘thank god’.”

Recovery and Future

John Bonfadini is now scheduled to undergo triple heart bypass surgery. He expressed optimism about his recovery, anticipating a return to his passions, including umpiring, golf, and the gym, within approximately 12 weeks.

“Once the pipes are clean and they’ve done the bypass I won’t have a problem and I’ll be back umpiring and doing everything normal within 12 weeks…” Mr. Bonfadini said. He also highlighted a positive outcome from the incident, noting that it has raised awareness about the possibility of underlying health issues even in physically fit individuals.