Shortly after 9 p.m. on Oct. 9, 15-year-old Landon Huber came upstairs to watch the Cubs playoffs with his Dad, Randy Huber, at their home in Teutopolis. They’re both Cubs fans, and it’s one of the many activities they do together.
Around the fourth inning, Landon got hungry. So he went to the kitchen to heat some leftovers in the microwave. He asked his Dad how long he should set the timer for. Randy replied, “2 minutes.” While the food was heating, Landon asked his Dad if he wanted a soda, but he didn’t respond. He could hear a snoring sound, so he ran over.
“There was something in me that knew something wasn’t right and something was wrong,” he said.
His mother was working late, and no one else was there. But instead of calling her, he called 911 immediately.
Randy wasn’t responding, and he stopped breathing. Landon didn’t know CPR and had only seen it in movies, so 911 telecommunicator Christal Carlen guided him through the steps.
“She told me, ‘You’re going to have to get him on the ground.’ He’s a bigger dude, so that was a struggle,” he said.
She then told him to put his hands over the middle of Randy’s chest and press really hard.
“I didn’t really feel like I was pressing too hard at the time, but probably with the adrenaline and everything, I was putting all my body weight into it, and she said, ‘Just go on my pace.’ So we went to 50 twice,” he said.
After the first 50 compressions, Randy started breathing again. They weren’t great breaths; they were pretty shallow, Landon recalled. The time between breaths grew longer.
“So, I told the operator that he didn’t seem like he was getting air anymore,” he said.
With her guidance, he performed another 50 compressions. Then the ambulance arrived.
That’s when Landon said panic set in.
“I was sitting there, and I prayed to God,” he said.
Randy had suffered a cardiac arrest. He has no memory of that night beyond directing his son on how long to set the microwave timer. He was transferred to HSHS St. John’s Hospital in Springfield and implanted with a pacemaker/defibrillator.
Effingham County Sheriff Paul Kuhns recognized Landon for his actions with a Distinguished Act award.
“Landon’s quick thinking and initiative was a critical part of the successful outcome of the medical emergency,” said Kuhns during a recent Effingham County Board meeting where he presented the award to Landon while his father looked on. “I can’t imagine how hard and stressful this would be, but to have to do it to protect your own family member. You are a brave man.”
Kuhns also recognized the team effort that went into saving Randy’s life – telecommunicator Christal Carlen, who delivered instructions on medical intervention techniques, and Sgt. Rob Brown, who arrived on the scene and delivered medical intervention techniques.
“I’m proud of the people who work at the sheriff’s office, and we also have a lot of good people in our community,” Kuhns said.
Randy is also proud of his son, and even though he notes Landon is thoughtful and conscientious and can always be counted on to do things, he and his wife, Shannon, are amazed at how calm Landon remained while doing what needed to be done.
“That’s hard, and that’s what the 911 operator said too. For him to be 15 years old and be as calm as he was, same with the officer that came in first before the EMTs, who said that he did a great job keeping his composure,” said Randy.
This Thanksgiving, Landon is thankful for the outcome and how quickly his Dad recovered.
“It’s for sure got me closer to God. I think He helped us out that night,” he said.
Randy is grateful that Landon was there because the survival rate for cardiac arrest is very low, he noted.
“If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here,” he said.
Randy is also grateful to the 911 telecommunicator, the officer who came in and helped, EMS, everyone at the hospital, his wife and the rest of his family.
“My wife did a good job of taking care of me in the hospital and out of the hospital,” he added.
The gratitude doesn’t stop there.
“We’ve had neighbors, people reach out and give us cards, and stop by and see how we’re doing, and that’s very much appreciated. People that are acquaintances and not friends are asking how I’m doing, reaching out to me,” he said. “That’s really nice to be able to live in a community like that.”
The Huber family has dubbed it “The year of the heart.”
“We’re a close family, but I think this made us a little bit closer,” said Randy.
Since that night, Randy has noticed his son is more cautious when it’s just the two of them.
“If I’m home and he’s home and I’m not around or where he can see, or I haven’t talked to him, and he’s hollering for me, I can kind of hear that little bit of stress in his voice too,” he admitted. “I’m trying to make myself known whenever I’m around that I’m OK, cause he still checks on me like all the rest of my family does.”
Landon said he never considered a medical career before that night. However, many people have told him he should.
“I am still unsure, but it would be for sure something I would like to look into,” he said.