Wisconsin boy saves grandfather suffering a heart attack

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While trying to play with his grandfather Sunday night, four-year-old Lyric Knighten ended up saving his life.

“I jumped on him and said, ‘Wake up! Wake up!” Lyric told Fox 9 inside “Papa’s” Regions Hospital room.

Knighten even received five stars from hospital doctors, who confirmed he is his grandfather's hero.

“He actually saved his granddad’s life,” smiled Regions Hospital cardiologist Updesh Bedi.

It was Sunday night when 48-year-old Dave Berrier, a retired Amery, Wis.  EMTI, former firefighter and amateur MMA fighter was not feeling well.

“I got tired, came in the house, laid down,” Berrier said. 

Out of his usual routine, he fell asleep.

“I heard him a couple times, ‘Papa, wake up! Papa, wake up!’ and I didn’t get up," Berrier said. 

Fortunately, Lyric insisted. The little boy jumped on his stomach and asked, “What were you doing while you were sleeping?!”

“If I wouldn’t have woken up, I would’ve died there,” Berrier told Fox 9.

“That is quite possible,” Dr. Bedi confirmed. “A lot of people who do not wake up, the probable cause is they have a heart attack or something called ventricular fibrillation at night and that’s why they don’t wake up.”

When Berrier got up, a pain in his chest persisted. The 48-year-old grandfather of 11 drove himself to Amery Health Partners and was later airlifted to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn.

“Within 13 to 14 minutes we had his artery open,” Dr. Bedi said.

On Tuesday, Bedi sent Berrier home with these strict orders to follow:

1. Regular exercise 45-40 minutes a day, at least five days a week
2. Eat a Mediterranean diet, rich in leafy greens, vegetables, and olive oil; which Dr. Bedi says has been shown to prevent heart attacks and strokes
3. Quit smoking

Common symptoms of a heart attack Dr. Bedi urges people not to ignore are chest pain, chest tightness, and shortness of breath.

Berrier will be on bed rest for four to six weeks while he recovers from Sunday night’s heart attack.

A GoFundMe page has been established to support the self-employed grandfather here.