Best Buddy Rescue is the second story from the fourth episode of Season 3, a 30-minute episode which aired on October 8, 1991 on CBS. It was later rebroadcast as the second story from the sixteenth episode of Season 5, a kid heroes compilation episode which aired on January 25, 1994. It airs in syndication on Episode 109S: Log Pinned Baby; Best Buddy Rescue.
Story[]
On the afternoon of February 24, 1991, Ryan Laurence and his friend, Stuart Cary, of Ruston, Louisiana, planned to build a fort. Stuart's father, Bill, gave him his hatchet so they could cut small trees and branches. Stuart's mother, Vicki, argued with Bill about the wisdom of allowing eleven-year-old boys to play with a hatchet, but he was convinced Stuart was old enough and responsible enough to handle it.
For a couple of hours Stuart and Ryan worked on their fort in a pine thicket at the elementary school, which was a few blocks from Stuart's house. On their way home, Ryan saw a rope hanging from a tree that the children used for swinging. It, which had a loop at its end, hung a few feet above the ground at the edge of a hill. Ryan, a practical joker, ran to it and slipped the loop around his neck. "Hey, I'm going to hang myself," he yelled to Stuart. "That's not funny," Stuart replied.
Stuart heard some kids in the distance and turned to see who they were. Moments later, when he turned back to Ryan, he saw him hanging limply from the rope. It appeared that his knees were resting on the ground. "Hey, that's not funny," Stuart yelled again, annoyed.
Stuart ran over to Ryan and shook him, but he didn't respond. Slowly it dawned on Stuart that he wasn't joking. In fact, he was unconscious. He must have lost his footing on the slippery pine needles. The incline of the hill had kept his feet from touching the ground.
Stuart tried to remove the rope from Ryan's neck, but his weight made the noose too tight. Stuart was worried that he was dead, but he told himself to stay calm. He ran for the hatchet, which he'd dropped nearby. He wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing, but he decided to cut through the rope with the hatchet.
Once Stuart sawed through the thick rope, Ryan fell to the ground. Stuart ran to his house for help. "Come quick! Ryan is hurt!" he screamed as he ran up the driveway. The Carys drove a few blocks to the thicket and found Ryan convulsing. He was blue and had a terrible rope burn around his neck. Vicki ran to a neighbor's house and dialed 911.
Captain Stephen Beard, who was patrolling a few blocks away, arrived moments before EMT Captain Kenneth Ambrose and his rescue team. He immediately recognized Ryan―his son went to church with him. The medics had to move him down the hill while keeping his airway open―no small feat, since the bank was steep and slippery. His mother, Vane Geter, arrived. She led the sobbing older woman away and held her. As she watched the medics load him into the ambulance, she thought she felt him slipping away. En route to the hospital his convulsions got more severe. Everyone tried to keep his airway open even as he was seizing.
Upon his arrival at Lincoln General Hospital, Ryan was examined and given medication to control his seizures and reduce brain swelling. They waited for a long time to see what would happen. Then he was airlifted to Schumpert Medical Center in Shreveport, where he was treated. The doctor told Vane that they would have to wait to see if he came out of his coma without brain damage. The big unanswered question was how long he had been deprived of oxygen: that would be key in assessing the extent of brain damage he might suffer.
Vane sat by Ryan's side. After sixteen long hours, he opened his eyes and turned to her. "Ryan, it's Mama. Do you know who I am?" she asked. "Vane," he responded in a tone that implied it was obvious.
Two days later, Ryan was released from the hospital. He completely recovered and suffered absolutely no brain damage. Since the accident, he and Stuart have become better friends. "Stuart and I are closer now that this happened," he said. "I hope I'll be his friend for the rest of my life, and I'll always be there if he ever needs me."
Bill and Vicki are proud of Stuart for keeping a cool head and acting quickly. If he hadn't, Ryan wouldn't be here today. Vane is also proud and appreciative of him. "I thank him and love him from the bottom of my heart. Our families will have a bond that will never be broken."
In other media[]
"Best Buddy Rescue" is one of the 81 stories featured in the book Rescue 911: Extraordinary Stories by Linda Maron. It was also featured in Rescue 911: Kid Heroes by Alison Hendrie under the title "Best Buddies".
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