‘Angel on Earth’: Jacksonville Beach man credits woman with saving his life after heart attack

A chance meeting on Jacksonville Beach became a life-saving rescue after Lance Schellpepper collapsed while stopping to pet a dog.

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — A morning fishing trip on Jacksonville Beach turned into a fight for one man’s life after he stopped to pet a stranger’s dog.

Lance Schellpepper said he was heading back to his car after fishing two weeks ago on a Wednesday morning when he saw Jennifer Card and her dog, Evie.

“I bent over to pet the dog, and that’s the last thing I remember is, like, I just went to sleep,” Schellpepper told First Coast News.

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Card said she and Evie had been out for a sunrise jog and were walking back to the car when Schellpepper approached them.

“This gentleman, Mr. Lance, had asked to pet Evie, and so we started to talk, just get to know each other,” Card said.

But as the conversation was ending, Card said Schellpepper suddenly stopped responding and fell to the ground, unresponsive.

Card, a physician assistant in vascular surgery, knew she needed to act quickly.

“I called 911. Start beating on the chest. It’s time, it’s time to do CPR,” Card said. “It’s time to keep the heart and the blood flowing until the responders came.”

Card said another young woman nearby helped by holding Evie while she turned Schellpepper over and began CPR. She estimated she performed CPR for about four to five minutes before first responders arrived.

Card said Schellpepper was unresponsive the entire time and had no pulse.

“I don’t remember anything she did. I don’t remember none of it,” Schellpepper said. “But at the hospital, that’s when everybody started telling me how she saved my life.”

Schellpepper was taken to Baptist Medical Center Beaches, where Card said doctors diagnosed him and transferred him downtown for additional heart care. Card said he had a heart catheterization and that Dr. Pierce performed open-heart surgery the next day. He spent about six days in the hospital, also suffering a broken nose from falling face-first onto the asphalt.

Schellpepper said doctors later told him how serious the situation had been.

“A couple of them told me I shouldn’t have come back from it, that Jenny, doing what she did, the way she did, is what saved me,” Schellpepper said.

For Card, helping him was part of the responsibility she chose when she entered her field.

“It’s my job. It’s what I vowed to do as a physician assistant,” Card said. “You know, you dream to have these moments where you can help.”

She said helping someone outside of a hospital can be especially challenging because medical resources are not immediately available.

“But it’s such an honor to be able to help people,” Card said. “It’s just all I love to do.”

Card also credited the first responders and medical team who cared for Schellpepper after she began CPR. She also thanked the Baptist team, including Dr. Pierce, saying the outcome was a team effort.

“Baptist, Dr. Pierce, his CT surgeon, all of them are vital,” Card said. “You know, it is a team approach. Medic is a team. It’s never one person. It is the team that helps us get to the end and the result that we need.”

Schellpepper said the experience has taken on an even deeper meaning because of what he had been going through before the heart attack. His wife died in September, and he said he had become angry at the world and stopped taking care of himself.

“I didn’t want nothing to do with anybody, didn’t want to do anything,” Schellpepper said. “I didn’t live right, I didn’t eat right. And that’s all gonna change now.”

He said surviving the heart attack made him realize he has a purpose and have him a reason to focus on his health. The woman who helped give him that chance is someone he says he will never forget.

“I’ve got an angel in heaven, my wife, and I got an angel on earth. That’s her,” Schellpepper said.

Card said she believes she was exactly where she needed to be that morning.

“God put me exactly where I needed to be, to help him,” Card said. “And God placed me in a career where I can make a difference.”

Schellpepper said he expects a long recovery and will likely be unable to drive for at least six to eight weeks .For now, he said he is focused on getting healthy and finding out what the next chapter of his life will be.