Dad learns CPR, saves son 11 days later

LOWELL, Mich. (WOOD) - A Lowell father who rescued his 4-year-old son from drowning last weekend credits a CPR class he took 11 days earlier, he said Tuesday evening.

"A scream of terror and the name Logan is what I heard," Ondray Rudegeair said. "And you didn't have to explain any more what was being said."

Logan fell off his tube into a neighbor's pool.

"I had a little drowning," the boy admitted Tuesday.

But that's when Rudegeair sprung into action. Logan had been underwater for about one minute when an adult in the pool scooped him out. Already, the child's body was lifeless.

Rudegeair immediately began CPR.

"The whole time in my mind, I'm screaming out to God, please don't take my son," he said.

The four hours he had spent in the CPR class paid off. Logan was brought back to life in less than two minutes.

"Finally, he cried out a terrifying scream, and that was the best sound we've ever heard," Logan's dad said. "It was very sweet -- (a) screaming child. Life."

Life EMS, Spectrum Health and the American Red Cross are just a few of the agencies offering classes.

"You may never use this stuff," said Bonnie Spaanstra, a registered nurse and CPR instructor. "That's the thing -- you hope you'll never have to. If you do have to, then you're ready."

Added Rudegeair: "I'm not sure how I would've responded, had I not known or not taken the CPR classes. Having taken that class gave me confidence (in) what to do."

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For more information on taking a CPR class, visit the American Red Cross online.