Paramedic meets man he saved as a premature baby 27 years ago
"I was grateful for what he did for me and he saved my life."
— -- A paramedic has been reunited with the premature infant he helped revive nearly 27 years ago.
"It's really hard to describe seeing them together for the first time," said Rodney Barron Sr., father of the child who was saved. "I was really excited for my son to finally meet the man who saved his life."
A.J. Heightman, 62, and Rodney Barron Jr., now 26, met face-to-face Sunday--the first time since the incident that occurred on May 24, 1990.
That night, Heightman, who was then a 37-year-old command officer, answered a call to a home in Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania, to assist a woman who was giving birth.
"When I entered the screen door to the kitchen, there was a panicked look on [police] officer Scott Lapare's face," Heightman told ABC News. "He was holding what looked like a washcloth and he handed it to me and said 'Here's your patient.'"
Wrapped inside was Rodney Barron Jr., who was born at 27 weeks, weighing 2 pounds, 13 ounces.
"As soon as I looked at the child, the eyelashes weren't formed yet," Heightman recalled. "I had to make a decision to do something or not do something. I knew at 27 weeks, the chance for survival was at one percent."
On the way to Allentown Hospital (now Lehigh Valley Health Network), Heightman administered mouth-to-nose resuscitation to baby Rodney, who had a pulse, but was not breathing, Heightman said.
Ten minutes later, Rodney started breathing. He remained in the NICU for 7 weeks.
"We felt like we won the lottery," Heightman said. "Right before Christmas, I received a Polaroid with a Christmas card that said, 'I made it.'"
In 2016, 26 years after the rescue, Rodney Barron Sr., 50, searched and found Heightman on Facebook. Barron Sr. informed him that his son was doing well and is now a father of two.
On April 23, 2017, Heightman, who now resides in California, met Barron Jr. and his family at East Hills Middle School in Bethlehem, where Heightman was hosting a training session. The two men embraced and Heightman shared Barron Jr.'s birth story. Heightman was also introduced to Barron Jr.'s father--Barron Sr., mother, Dianne Barr and son, Rodney Barron III.
Barron Sr. called the emotional reunion "overwhelming."
"I can't thank him enough," Barron Sr. said of Heightman. "I can say it a million times and it still wouldn't be enough. He went above and beyond of what normal people would do."
Barron Jr. said, "I was grateful for what he did for me and he saved my life. It was wonderful that he got to meet my son."
