California man hikes miles to save son who suffered stroke while backpacking

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Friday, May 7, 2021
California man hikes miles to find help for son who suffered stroke while backpacking
A man walked several miles to find help for his son, who suffered a stroke while hiking in Northern California.

A man walked several miles to find help for his son, who suffered a stroke while hiking in Northern California.

Brian Lee and his dad David were on a backpacking trip about two weeks ago.

When they set up camp, Brian felt a tingling in his arm and lips and began sweating a lot.

David said he recognized his son's symptoms as a sign of a stroke and jumped into action.

He got Brian in a tent and then had to walk ten miles before he could call 911 for help.

"When I set out to leave him there, I did spend a few minutes thinking, is it better for me to stay, or is it better for me to go? I'm leaving him without anybody here. That was a really frightening decision," David said.

He left Brian with a strobe light to show his location to rescuers.

Brian was rescued the next morning and taken to a nearby hospital. He is expected to fully recover.

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