Woman who suffered stroke on the sand thanks State Parks lifeguards who helped her

Lisa Peterson couldn’t open her beach chair, the first sign something was wrong.
Peterson, along with her then 14-year-old daughter, Haylee, and family friends from Rancho Cucamonga, was at El Moro State Beach to enjoy a relaxing beach day last summer – but within minutes, everything changed.
Lisa Peterson, 41, and lifeguard Niel Smith, 19, have an emotional reunion at Morro Beach in Laguna on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Peterson suffered a stroke almost a year ago and Smith was one sev