The News Press reported on this racquetball story in Fort Meyers, Florida on October 24th, 2017.

———-

Senior heroes on the court: Three retirees save their friend’s life while playing racquetball

Tom Tubbs almost played his last racquetball game May 3. Permanently.

The 72-year-old retired U.S. Army officer’s heart went into cardiac arrest on a court at the Cross Creek Country Club in south Fort Myers and the quick thinking of his racquetball buddies made all the difference.

“We were getting ready to start a game,” said Tubbs, now a member of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Volunteer Observers Impacting Community Effort unit. “I love playing the game.”

The friends — Bob Weaver, 75, Fred Merker, 74, and Allen Bliss, 82 — have been playing racquetball several times a week for about six or seven years. Their May 3 play date was no different from dozens of other gatherings.

“Sometimes we play teams, or if it’s just three of us, we’ll play cutthroat,” Merker said.

But, Tubbs said, he had broken his wrist in a spill just three months prior and had been out for a few weeks.

[Read More]