Rory Bakke, wearing his portable LifeVest defibrillator, and Sundari “Sunny” Saengdara at the Miller Park pickleball courts where Bakke collapsed on Sept. 27. A newly installed AED helped save his life. Photo by Stuart Sudak
On a sunny afternoon, Oct. 7, Rory Bakke and Sundari “Sunny” Saengdara sat side by side on a bench near the Miller Park pickleball courts – the same place where, just 10 days earlier, he went into sudden cardiac arrest during a game.
Saengdara, 25, is a registered nurse at St. Francis Hospital in Shakopee who also works in pediatric home care. That training, Bakke said, likely saved his life.
“Just how incredible she is,” Bakke said when asked what he’d like to stress about that day. “That’s pretty much it. She knew exactly what to do in that moment. And like she said before, every second really counts in a situation like that. I’m so lucky I came out the way I did – without any brain damage.”
A sudden collapse on the court
It was Sept. 27, a pleasant Saturday evening, when Bakke – a 27-year-old Eden Prairie resident – looked across the net, pointed to his head, sat down and fell backward.
“I ran over and tried to do a sternal rub to wake him,” Saengdara said – describing a firm knuckle rub to the breastbone used to check responsiveness. “About two months ago, he fainted twice, and the doctors never found anything conclusive. So at first, I thought it might be the same thing again. But this time, his breathing was irregular and shallow, and his eyes were fixed – his pupils were dilated and open. I could tell he wasn’t really there.”
She shouted for help. Other players called 911. Someone ran for the automated external defibrillator – an AED installed near the courts about two weeks earlier.
“I’d seen a Facebook post about the AED a couple of weeks before,” Saengdara said. “I didn’t know exactly where it was, but I knew it was close. Thank goodness for that post – otherwise I honestly wouldn’t have known.”
A police officer arrived quickly. After Saengdara spoke with 911, the officer helped her check for a pulse. They couldn’t find one. Saengdara started CPR and attached the AED.
“It talks you through everything,” she said. “I kept doing CPR, and then it advised giving a shock – so we did.”
When EMS arrived, they continued CPR for about 10-15 minutes and delivered two additional shocks.
“He started to come back a little – not fully there yet, but beginning to move,” Saengdara said. “Then he started having seizures, which they said can happen after cardiac arrest. They gave him medication, and once his heartbeat returned to a normal rhythm, they got him into the ambulance.”
A fight to recover
Bakke was taken to Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, where he was intubated and sedated through the weekend. He was extubated Monday, began talking and walking again by midweek, and was discharged Oct. 4.
That same day, Saengdara shared what happened in a post on the Eden Prairie Community Facebook page.
“I just wanted to say thank you,” Saengdara said later. “We’re so grateful for everyone who was involved – especially the other players who were willing to help. They were so fast. It all feels like such a blur; everything happened so quickly.”
Asked if he credits her with saving his life, Bakke didn’t hesitate: “Absolutely.”
Asked if it was that dire, they both answered “Absolutely” at the same time.
Two months before the collapse, Bakke had fainted twice. “We kind of went to the doctor for that,” he said. “Everything came back fine. Yeah, I got a heart monitor for that – wore it for a week. Everything looked normal, and we kind of forgot about it for a while.”
Doctors later told the couple they believe Bakke has arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy – ARVC – a rare genetic heart condition.
“He didn’t have any past medical history, but his family does,” Saengdara said. “There’s a long history of heart issues. We had talked about going in to get tested for certain things, just knowing it ran in the family, but this all happened before that could happen.”
He now wears a LifeVest, a portable external defibrillator that monitors his heart and can deliver a shock if it detects a dangerous rhythm.
“With medication, which he’s on now, and the LifeVest, he’s protected until the implant,” Saengdara said. “And on the 20th, he’s scheduled to get an ICD – a defibrillator – implanted.”
Bakke plans a second opinion at Mayo Clinic in Rochester after the procedure. He said Mayo might have a better understanding of his specific case and what it means for him going forward.
“He grew up playing sports – baseball, basketball, and even played pickleball with his grandparents,” Saengdara said. “It’ll be interesting to see what he can tolerate and what’s appropriate going forward.”
“With the meds, honestly, it might make a big difference,” Bakke said of returning to activity after the implant.
A new public-access automated external defibrillator, or AED, has been installed along the north side of the sport courts at Miller Park. The device is available around the clock and provides step-by-step voice instructions for use in an emergency. It’s the first of several outdoor AEDs planned for Eden Prairie parks. Source: City of Eden Prairie Facebook post
‘She saw her boyfriend go from being gone to being back’
Advanced First Aid, a Minneapolis-area company owned by longtime paramedic Paul Mendoza, installed the Miller Park unit outside the pickleball courts in September – the courts had opened in June.
The AED sits in a SaveStation – a temperature-controlled outdoor cabinet that monitors the device, can alert city staff when service is needed, and is designed for year-round public access.
“When I heard what happened, it brings tears to my eyes,” Mendoza said. “I see this probably once a month, but it still gets me. The save is huge, but what really gets emotional is hearing it from people like Sunny. She saw her boyfriend go from being gone to being back, and she’s just so thankful. That’s what really hits you.”
Mendoza said his firm has installed nearly 60 SaveStations around Minnesota – in parks, schools, and public spaces – and called the Miller Park rescue the first confirmed SaveStation save in the metro area.
“What Sunny did – starting CPR immediately, calling 911, grabbing the AED – that’s exactly how it’s supposed to work,” he said. “And it worked.”
‘The timing couldn’t have been better’
Eden Prairie Parks and Recreation Director Amy Markle said she learned of the save soon after it happened.
“The timing couldn’t have been better to have that resource available for the situation,” Markle said. “I was really hoping we wouldn’t need to use it that soon, but I’m so glad it was there – and that it worked when it was needed.”
Markle said an earlier experience in another city helped drive the decision to put a year-round, public-access AED at Miller Park.
“At a previous city I worked for, we had someone go into cardiac arrest at a pickleball court and not survive,” she said.
“It’s really not just for pickleball,” she added. “It could be used for anyone – people playing tennis or basketball, or using the fields nearby. These incidents can happen anytime, anywhere. We tried to place the AED in a central spot at Miller Park, so whether someone’s heading to football practice or grandparents are at the playground with their grandkids, it’s easy to access. It’s right along the road, and it’s lit, so it’s visible at night. Even people at the boat landing could get to it quickly if needed. The idea is that someone could grab it and use it before first responders arrive.”
Eden Prairie Lions Club members (from left) Steve Lipschultz and Gary Watkins present a $24,000 donation during the Oct. 7 City Council meeting as Mayor Ron Case, Parks and Recreation Director Amy Markle, and City Council members Lisa Toomey and PG Narayanan stand alongside them. Council member Kathy Nelson looks on in the background. Of the total, $14,000 will fund additional public-access AEDs in city parks. Case, Toomey, and Narayanan are also Lions Club members. Photo courtesy of the City of Eden Prairie
At the Oct. 7 City Council meeting, the Eden Prairie Lions Club presented a $24,000 donation for two projects – including $14,000 to purchase two additional SaveStations with AEDs.
One will be installed at Riley Lake Park – which has the boat landing, beach, sand volleyball courts, pickleball courts, and ballfields – and the other at Staring Lake Park, where an AED inside the building isn’t always visible and the building locks at times.
“Yes, the same exact model (from Advanced First Aid),” Markle said Wednesday. “I ordered them this morning, and I’d anticipate they’ll be out in the parks within the next month.”
Eden Prairie Lions Club President Steve Lipschultz and First Vice President and Major Gifts Chair Gary Watkins attended the council meeting to present the check.
“We’re just honored to be able to give the city this donation,” Lipschultz said. “We’ve already heard such good news about the first AED. Our group is really happy to help provide two more.”
‘We’re so thankful’
Bakke grew up in Grand Marais, graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2020, and moved to the Twin Cities afterward. He works for a family-owned investment company. Saengdara grew up in the metro, and the couple has lived in Eden Prairie for more than a year.
“We just started getting really into it,” Bakke said of pickleball. “We didn’t even know this park existed, and we’ve lived right down the road for over a year.”
Both hope to be back at Miller Park playing pickleball soon.
“We really hope so,” she said. “It’s so much fun, and we love it. We’ll just have to see – hard to say right now.”