A southern Michigan teen saved his father’s life while bowhunting on family property. Alex Noland, 15, a high school freshman, was hunting with his dad, Donald Noland, on 10 acres of Donald’s brother’s property near Petersburg earlier this month, when his father suddenly collapsed.
Donald is crediting Alex’s quick thinking for saving his life. While the pair was in the field Donald started having problems breathing. While Donald did have asthma, this was worse than any asthma attack he’d ever experienced.
“We were heading out to the woods, we get all the way to the back of the property and then I couldn’t breathe,” Donald said to the Monroe News. “I started having an asthma attack. I just couldn’t breathe and my throat was closing up.”
“Something triggered it and it turned into a severe asthma attack and stopped my breathing, which put me into a cardiac arrest,” he said.
Donald began to take off his gear and spread out on the ground and told Alex to call emergency services before passing out.
When he realized his father was unconscious, Alex started administering CPR, which he had some practice with prior to the hunt.
“I did CPR for like a minute or two,” said Alex. “It wasn’t that long, and then he came back. When I was 10 or 12, my mom had us take a 911 class with the Bedford EMTs and so I did some CPR there.”
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The 911 dispatcher helped walk him through the steps to perform CPR just the same while first responders were on their way. Alex said that the local Monroe Community Ambulance service and Summerfield Township Fire Department responded in about 10 minutes.
Alex’s cousin transported the first responders to Donald with an off-road utility vehicle.
“The last thing I remember was laying down on the ground, and then I woke up in the ambulance at the hospital,” said Donald. “They said everything was good with my heart; I just have to go to a pulmonologist to get my asthma taken care of.”
“It was pretty crazy — you never expect your kid to have to save your life,” the proud father said. “If he wouldn’t have been there with me, I would’ve been dead.”
Mr. Noland remained at the hospital for observation for about two days and was released without any signs of long-term injuries.
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I was elk hunting with my son who was 17 at the time. I didn’t know at that time that I had heart disease and 3 months later had a massive heart attack and obviously survived. But I had what I now know was a small heart attack. Pain went away and I finished a 5 mile hike. But I asked my son what he would’ve done if I would’ve lost consciousness. He very flatly looked at me and said he’d go get the truck. I said you can’t get the truck to me. He just smiled. I suggest hunting with your daughters.