Small child becomes big hero

Ever since the day he was born, seven-year-old Kody McQuaid and his ?papa,? Lyle McQuaid, have had a tight bond that surpasses the relationship that most grandsons and grandpas have. Sandy McQuaid, Kody?s grandma, said that she and her husband have been Kody?s guardians all of his young life.

?We have raised him since he came home from the hospital,? said Sandy. ?Ever since he was born, he has been here with his papa and me.?

It wasn?t until Lyle suffered a stroke last month that the McQuaid family knew just how strong the bond was that Kody had with his grandpa.

Lyle and Kody were home alone together, while Sandy was attending a parent-teacher conference for Kody with his first grade teacher at Millersburg Elementary School. Sandy said what happened next at the McQuaid household is what would change their appreciation for life from that point on.

?While the two were home together, Lyle suffered a slight stroke and fell in the kitchen,? explained Sandy. ?As he slid down the kitchen counter, his jean pocket got caught on the handle to the cupboard, and he was kind of hanging there, stuck.?

The pressure of Lyle falling against, and then sliding down the counter, ripped a perfect hole through the back pocket of his pants. It was the pocket where Lyle kept his wallet, and it was hung up on the handle in such a way that Lyle could not move. The affects of the stroke were also causing Lyle trouble. He had lost consciousness and could not communicate.

During this traumatic event, young Kody watched his papa, who he had spent so much time fishing and walking through the woods with, collapse and become completely immobile.

At this point, most children (Kody was six years old at the time of the accident) would panic and cry out of fear. Kody, however, is not like most children.

?Kody stayed calm, cool, and collected,? said Sandy. ?He knew just what to do for his papa.?

What Kody did not only saved his grandpa?s life, it proved just how capable a young child could be in a time of crisis.

?Kody pushed a kitchen chair over to the refrigerator, because he knows I keep my scissors up there,? said Sandy. ?He got the scissors, and then he used them to cut out the pocket of his papa?s jeans where Lyle was hung up; he cut that pocket clean off, without even nicking his grandpa?s skin.?

Once Kody had cut the pocket off of Lyle?s pants, he was able to get his grandpa?s wallet, where he knew his grandpa kept the phone numbers of neighbors. Kody recognized that he needed assistance, and he knew that his grandpa?s neighbor would help. He found the phone number and called.

?Kody called our neighbor and told them that papa was down and couldn?t get up,? said Sandy. ?Our neighbor rushed right over from across the road, and immediately called 9-1-1.?

Lyle was taken by ambulance to Cheboygan Memorial Hospital, and from there his treatment ?went like clockwork.? Sandy is adamant that people not only realize what a great grandson she has, but that they also take a lesson from Lyle?s experience.

?We learned that once you have a stroke, you have about three hours to receive medical assistance and medications that can stop the stroke from damaging your body beyond repair,? said Sandy. ?By the time Lyle got the medication he needed, he had about 20 minutes left; the hospital and Kody?s reaction to what happened saved my husband from being sicker than he could have been.?

The medication Sandy referred to is a drug called t-PA, which dissolves blood clots that obstruct blood flow to the brain. There is a three-hour window of o

pportunity to treat stroke victims, but because tests have to be administered before the drug can be given, it is important to get to a hospital within 60 minutes.

The McQuaid family learned time is of the essence when experiencing signs of a stroke. In Lyle?s case, he had been suffering from severe headaches for a couple of days before the incident, but had shrugged them off as sinus problems.

?People tend to say, oh, it?ll pass,? said Sandy. ?Getting help immediately could be mean the difference between paralysis, life, or death; it?s so important to seek help as soon as you see any symptoms.?

Lyle has experienced a quick recovery from the stroke he suffered only one month ago. He is back home again, and it is safe to say, that due to the quick actions of a smart little boy, he has more time to share with Kody, which means more time to strengthen the bond between grandpa and grandson.

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