Caddy who collapsed at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am shares his recovery update
MONTEREY, Calif. (KION-TV)- A caddy who suffered a cardiac arrest during the second round of the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am shared his recovery during a press conference at Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula.
On Feb. 3, 2023, Leo Lukenas of Monterey suffered a 30-minute cardiac arrest on the 11th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Lukenas was caddying for amateur Geoff Couch when he collapsed.
Sacramento County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Kelly Bunn began performing CPR until paramedics arrived and transported Lukenas to CHOMP.
During his stay in the ICU, Lukenas was diagnosed with severe multivessel coronary artery disease and received quadruple bypass surgery. He is currently recovering with therapy and is in good spirits.
“It seems like it was a bad thing that happened to me — it wasn't," Lukenas said. "It was a blessing in disguise because I had a problem with my heart, and something was going to go wrong sooner or later."
Lukenas got the chance to thank Sgt. Bunn in person along with the doctors, nurses, and paramedics who played a role in saving his life.
"The moment I will be most proud of is this moment, watching Leo not be in a hospital bed, being able to walk, talk and move around," Bunn said. "It's just a very proud moment for me to be sitting next to him in the company of all the people that helped him get to this point."
Hospital officials said that Lukenas and his family provided funding to Montage Health Foundation for an AED to be utilized by First Tee, a local non-profit organization that focuses on golf and building game changers.
