As a Beatles fan, he marveled at George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.
But today, more than a month after his life was saved on the floor of a Westford recreation center, Bob Hughes has a new Fab Four.
Unlike the famous musicians from England, Luisa Ramos-Gemma, Mark Tremblay, George Frascarelli and Peter Burr are not household names. But don’t try telling the 66-year-old Hughes they aren’t rock stars.
Ramos-Gemma, Tremblay, Frascarelli and Burr are credited with bringing Hughes back to life after he collapsed while playing pickleball.
“We were told by medical people that he died on that floor,” his wife, Gail Hughes, said. “We have a renewed lease on life. Things are great. We call them the Fab Four.”
Jan. 20 was a typical morning for Bob and Gail Hughes. They woke up, had breakfast and made the 20-minute drive from their Acton home to The Mill Works, an indoor recreation center in Westford.
They were playing in pickleball games on separate courts when Bob Hughes began to feel dizzy. Seconds later he collapsed to the floor. Gail Hughes looked over and saw someone on the ground. She had no idea it was her husband.
Though Bob Hughes had no history of heart issues, he went into cardiac arrest. Wasting no time, four people who were also playing pickleball didn’t hesitate. None knew Hughes well. But their actions saved the life of the father of three and grandfather of four.
Ramos-Gemma began administering CPR to Hughes, though the Westford woman had no formal training. Within moments, Tremblay, who lives in Groton, and Frascarelli, a Chelmsford resident, offered their help. Tremblay and Frascarelli, who have CPR training, took over, taking turns trying to revive Hughes.
Burr, meanwhile, knew there was a device on site that could help. He had noticed the automated external defibrillator a few days earlier and had made a mental note.
First, he sped over to the office and told an employee to call 911. Then he grabbed the AED, a portable electronic device that treats the heart through defibrillation, the application of electricity which stops the arrhythmia and allows the heart to re-establish an effective rhythm.
The AED machine recognized that Bob Hughes had gone into cardiac arrest. Gail Hughes, who was clinging to her husband, was asked to let go him so she wouldn’t be shocked with the electric current. Seconds later, he opened his eyes.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
Gail Hughes and Burr said the life-saving measures took between seven and nine minutes. Time was of the essence. Survival decreases by 7% to 10% every minute a victim stays in arrhythmia.
“It was a very traumatic seven to nine minutes. Oh, my goodness. They are totally our heroes,” Gail Hughes said of Ramos-Gemma, Tremblay, Frascarelli and Burr. “There can’t be enough words for what they did for us to give us back my husband, a father and grandfather.”
Bob and Gail Hughes have separately met all four at Kimball Farm in Westford. The couple bought coffee and gave each of their heroes a goodie basket. Hugs were exchanged. In some instances, tears were shed.
“We know these people and we consider them friends,” Gail Hughes said.
The fourth and final meeting occurred earlier this week with Burr, a Litchfield, N.H., resident, who served as a Westford Academy softball coach from 2004 to 2020, the last 13 seasons as the head varsity coach.
“It was a group effort,” said Burr, downplaying his role that morning. “I didn’t know Bob, but I saw a man go down like a shot. I took off. I don’t think I’m a hero at all. There were four of us who responded right away. Hero? Absolutely not.”
He said other people who were at The Mill Works that morning were prepared to help as well.
Burr said he began to get emotional when Bob and Gail Hughes showed him a picture of their extended family.
“You’re looking at a grandfather, a father and a husband,” he said. “You think, how special is this? You always feel good when you help.”
Instead of focusing on his role, Burr raved about the responses of Ramos-Gemma, Tremblay and Frascarelli. Ramos-Gemma, the first person to help despite her lack of CPR training, was visibly shaken as Bob Hughes was being transported to Lowell General Hospital, where imaging showed he had extensive blockage in multiple arteries.
After one night at Lowell General, he was transported to Tufts Medical Center in Boston, where he underwent successful triple bypass and valve repair surgery on Jan. 26. Gail Hughes received a call that the seven-hour surgery went well.
“It was a great phone call to get,” she said.
Bob Hughes, who is retired, is on the comeback trail. He’s able to walk 2 miles. He said his near-death experience has made him appreciative and reflective.
“That’s for sure. Without a doubt. The day-to-day stuff that used to drive me nuts,” he said, “it just pours right off.”
He’s grateful for his three children — Rob, 39, of Bolton; Laura, 35, of Auburn, N.H.; and Meredith, 29, of Hudson — and his grandchildren.
“There will never be enough words to express how thankful our family is to all those involved in saving his life,” Meredith said. “From the pickleball players to the EMTs who arrived on scene, the nurses, doctors and assistants in Lowell, and the surgical team at Tufts. They saved the life of a good man and gave his family back an extraordinary, thoughtful, loving husband, father and grandfather.”
Bob Hughes showed no warning signs of heart trouble. On the day before he collapsed, he drove two hours to his family’s second home in Moultonboro, N.H., snow-blowed a 200-foot long driveway, and made the two-hour drive home.
“I felt fine,” he said.
The Hughes family is raising money to benefit Lowell General’s Heart and Vascular Center. Also, a pickleball tournament will be held at The Mill Works on Saturday and Sunday. Proceeds from a raffle will help The Mill Works acquire a second AED machine.
“We want to shout it from the rooftops. People can save lives and people do save lives,” Gail Hughes said.
Three of the four heroes from Jan. 20 will join the Hughes family at the tournament. (Tremblay will be in Florida and unable to make it.) Bob Hughes will not be able to play. When his recovery is complete, though, he says he will return to the pickleball courts.
“It’s a great way to stay active,” he said.
He says when he does return to the pickleball courts, he may struggle to find playing partners. Then he laughs. It feels great to joke. It feels great to be alive.
Thanks to Luisa Ramos-Gemma, Mark Tremblay, George Frascarelli and Peter Burr.
His new Fab Four.