Game on: Sharp nurse saves umpire’s life

The stands were full for a West Hills Little League game in Santee on a Thursday evening in June. More than 100 people were watching kids chase a championship in the tournament semifinal.

Alicia West, a nurse from Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns, sat behind home plate cheering on her son, age 9. Tracy Risley, the first-base umpire known around the league for his dad jokes, had just made a close call against her son’s team.

Seconds later, Tracy collapsed on the ground.

“He was standing up, and then he went down,” West says. “It was just like a tree falling over.”

West ran onto the field without hesitation. Another spectator had already checked for a pulse — there wasn’t one — and started CPR.

West could see the chest compressions weren’t being done correctly, so she asked to take over and called for the field’s automated external defibrillator. An AED is a portable device that can shock the heart back into normal rhythm during cardiac arrest.

What followed was about five minutes of CPR in full view of the crowd, many of them children, including West’s own three kids.

When the AED arrived, West asked the crowd to be quiet so she could hear it. The device detected a heart rhythm that needed a shock. She followed its prompt and resumed compressions, repeating in her head, “He’s going to be OK.”

That’s when Tracy pushed West’s hands away.

“I was so happy to get pushed,” West says. “I knew if he’s pushing me away, he’s coming back. He’s feeling those compressions.”

A heart that had already been through so much

What few people at the game knew was how much Tracy’s heart had already endured. In February 2024, he had quadruple bypass surgery after a major heart attack. His surgeon told him he had defied odds by surviving.

That evening on the baseball field, Tracy went into sudden cardiac arrest when his heart abruptly stopped beating. According to the American Heart Association, immediate CPR can double or triple a person’s chance of surviving cardiac arrest, but only about 40% of people who experience one receive bystander CPR before professional responders arrive.

“If this would have happened at home, I would be dead,” Tracy says.

He remembers very little. “Everything went white,” Tracy says. “The next thing I remember is pushing away the nurse doing chest compressions on me.”

True to form, Tracy came to, frustrated that someone had called 911. “I’m very strong-willed. I didn’t think it was that bad at first.”

West informed him that she shocked him with an AED and performed CPR. She encouraged him to go to the hospital.

Tracy was taken to Sharp Grossmont Hospital and is currently making steady progress in his recovery. He hopes to return to umpiring next year, pending his cardiologist’s approval.

As a longtime CPR instructor himself, Tracy has gained new respect for the procedure he teaches. “Now that I know how painful CPR is, I’ve got a whole new perspective.”

“Thank you is not enough”

In 15 years as a women’s health nurse, West had never cared for a male patient before that fateful day. “It would have been easier if he was having a baby on the field,” she jokes.

Afterward, she gathered the children who witnessed it, passed around snacks and explained what happened. The game went on, which is exactly what Tracy would have wanted.

Days later, before the championship game, the league surprised West with flowers and a giant poster. “I’ve never received flowers on a baseball field before,” she says. “My kids were really proud of me. That felt good.”

West and her children later visited Tracy at the rehabilitation center where he’s continuing his recovery. For Tracy, the bond is permanent.

“Thank you is not enough,” he says. “I’ll be grateful for the rest of my life.”

A lifesaving lesson for every community

Drawing on her hospital training, West turned the moment into a learning opportunity. At her suggestion, the league moved its AED to a more accessible spot, added a second device and ordered heavy-duty scissors to quickly cut away gear in an emergency.

Tracy’s story is a reminder that quick action — from anyone nearby — can make a huge difference. Knowing where your nearest AED is, and how to start hands-only CPR, can help save a life in the minutes before paramedics arrive.

“It’s something I didn’t think twice about doing,” West recalls. “My instincts just took over, and I’m very thankful they did.”

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