8-Year-Old Boy Amazingly Saves Father’s Life After He Collapses

Landin Colson, then only eight years old, sprung into action when he witnessed his father collapse to the floor. And then the child did something that really floored the adults. He started performing CPR on his father right away.

Eight-year-old Landin Colson is a fairly typical child of his age group. His mother, Hope Hersey, his dad, and the rest of his siblings all call Warner, New Hampshire, their home. They all live there together. 

The year of age eight can be a truly wonderful time. Children eight years old develop a greater sense of autonomy and maturity. It may be heartening to observe them demonstrating true empathy for other people. 

Just like every other family, the Colson family makes it a point to spend quality time together by taking weekend trips.

During this kind of trip, every parent understands the need to keep a watchful check on their children at all times. They are always investigating everything in their environment, which means you should constantly be ready to take immediate action if necessary.

When the event took place, Hersey, along with the children and Colson’s father, was outdoors. She stated this to WMUR News in October 2018, saying, “I asked him if he was okay. He said ‘Yes.’” But then, her husband collapsed against the edge of the shed.

As soon as Hersey saw that her husband had passed out, she acted immediately and did what anyone else would have done in that situation, which is to say that she raced off and called the emergency services.

Colson made a choice to do something that very few people would have expected a kid of his current age to know how to accomplish as his father lay there lifeless. In a desperate effort to revive his father, he successfully performed chest compressions and other lifesaving measures on him.

In an interview with WMUR News, Colson detailed the emotions that he was experiencing at the time. “I’m like, ‘Dad, stay with me. I know it’s going to be OK. You’re just going to go to the hospital, and I know you’re going to be better someday,’” he expressed.

Even adults can go into a state of paralysis when confronted with a difficult scenario. The fact that this young guy was so courageous is one of the things that makes it so great. Not only was he capable of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), but he was also self-assured enough to jump into action the moment he was required to do so.

His mother was taken aback by the fact that Landin was able to administer CPR and keep his composure during the ordeal. She stated, “I have never seen this child as calm and cool and collected.” She believed that, at that moment, he had done a great job. “He was far more calm than I was,” she added.

During the time that Colson was performing the procedure that could potentially save his father’s life, emergency personnel was heading to the location. An officer who responded to the call arrived not long after that and took over.

Bear in mind that Colson’s mother was unable to perform CPR on her husband and instead called for assistance from the emergency services. This finding begs the question of how a child of that age could have acquired such a substantial ability. The answer is not difficult to figure out.

Colson learned cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in school, which is also where he learned the rest of his other abilities. Colson and his classmates at Simonds Elementary School were instructed on the proper procedure by members of the faculty. He went on to say that his nurse, as well as his fitness and gym teacher, had instructed him and his classmates in the process.

Although Colson’s ability to conduct CPR may be what ultimately led to the survival of his father–CPR is not a skill that’s commonly taught in New Hampshire schools. And Colson’s mother is determined to make a difference in this regard. 

The eight-year-old boy has high aspirations that he will one day be able to put his skills in saving lives to work in a professional setting. Colson publicly shared with the reporter that one day, when he’s older, he hopes to work in the emergency services field as a physician or firefighter.

A situation similar to this has occurred on more than one occasion in the past. In fact, there are a lot of stories out there about very young kids coming to the aid of their parents.

In a separate instance, in March of 2013, C.J. Saulsgiver was able to save his mother’s life after she suffered a heart attack. When the boy got home from school, he heard his mother calling out for him. He was in the sixth grade at the time.

Saulsgiver and his parents had taken a course on CPR a few months before–which is why he was completely aware of what to do in this situation.

Colson was also praised by the police and fire service in his community for intervening and conducting life-saving CPR on his father during an emergency.