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Erik Steiniger


Aqil Surka, on right.

Trey Love/All American Imaging

Team Saves Life At State Tournament

EXPERTISE IN CPR HELPS PLAYER

By Kathryn Osbon/USTA Southern intern

When the South Carolina 2.5 Men’s team arrived at the USTA South Carolina State Tournament, they did not think they would have to use their teams’ medical experience. Three of the teams top players – Aquil Surka, Chris Nowatka and Erik Steineger – all performed CPR at the event saving the life of a player on another team. All three men are physicians and performed CPR on the fallen player for at least fifteen minutes before the ambulance arrived.

It was extremely hot on court during one afternoon. One player from Duncan collapsed with a heart attack after complaining of pains in his right chest earlier that morning. Surka, Nowatka and Steinger, along with the man’s doubles partner, took turns compressing his chest and feeling for a pulse. The ambulance arrived and used a defibrillator immediately to keep him alive long enough to get to the hospital. The man was revived and spent the next couple of days at the hospital before he was released in healthy condition.

Surka (a pediatrician) Nowatka (who owns a private practice) and Steineger (who specializes in ear, nose and throat) were all just glad they were there to help. They believe that if someone had not performed CPR on the man that he would not have made it. They said it felt good to be able to help and then come back the next day and win the state championship.

The men said it was a team effort and were happy to say that the man looked better when he was loaded into the ambulance. The three doctors said that they were just doing their job and anyone who was CPR certified could have done the same thing.   

 Team

 South Carolina Men’s 2.5

 Home Courts

 Spartanburg

 Captain

 Ed Miles