Jack Hancock Sr. wouldn’t be alive today if it hadn’t been for his son, Jack Hancock Jr. To hear the younger Hancock tell it, he played a minor role in his father’s survival, but like any good gentleman and true hero, he’s just being modest.
A firefighter with the Little Rock Fire Department, 32-year-old Jack Jr. is the only child of Jack Hancock Sr. and Sheryl Hancock. A little over a year ago, Jack Jr. was getting ready to visit his parents’ home in Vilonia for their weekly family dinner when his mother sent him a text and told him to come early — his father wasn’t feeling well.
The elder Hancock — a volunteer with the Vilonia Fire Department who also works for Raven Services at the Clinton Presidential Library — had cut down a tree that morning and was feeling weak and ill by mid-day.
When Jack Jr. arrived, his two young children in tow, his dad was complaining of jaw pain and extreme thirst. While standing at the kitchen counter getting water, Jack Jr. noticed his father swaying back and forth. “I asked if he was ok, and he said he felt dizzy,” he remembers. “As soon as he answered, his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed. I caught him on his way to the floor and we both went down.”
At that moment, Jack Jr.’s years of training as a first responder kicked into high gear. He yelled for his mother to call 9-1-1 as he tried to assess the situation. Adrenaline pumping, he decided in an instant that his father was suffering a heart attack and began to react accordingly.
Read more about Jack Jr.’s story and how he saved his father’s life in our January issue: http://goo.gl/SzHd2O.
For his heroic actions, Jack Hancock Jr. is being honored at the Jan. 29 American Red Cross Heroes Luncheon, held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Little Rock Hotel and powered by Verizon and Nokia Siemens. Guests at the luncheon will hear Jack Hancock Jr.’s story, as well as the powerful, heart-warming stories of many other Arkansas heroes.
Red Cross Heroes Luncheon
When: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 29
Where: DoubleTree by Hilton Little Rock Hotel
Tickets: $1,500 per table of eight
Info: 748-1030, www.RedCross.org/Arkansas