A Christmas Tale

‘Brain dead’ son enjoys Xmas after dad armed with gun refuses to let medics end his life

RT,

25 December,

The Pickering family from Texas is celebrating a miracle this Christmas, which so nearly did not happen. With doctors about to turn off a life support machine keeping George Pickering’s son alive, a desperate and armed George intervened, determined his son would live.

This year has been an eventful one for George Pickering II and his son George Pickering III. George Jr. has made a full recovery after being in a coma. With doctors set to turn off his life support machine, his savior proved to be his own father.

Upon hearing that doctors had given up hope, a drunk and armed George Sr. marched towards the Tomball Regional Medical Center in Houston, Texas, determined to make sure his son was given more time to make a recovery, even if it meant he would spend time in jail.

George Sr. barricaded himself inside with his 27-year-old son as he managed to hold off police, before something amazing happened.

© RT

“Towards the end of the standoff, which was about three hours long, he felt his son squeeze his hand,” the family’s lawyer Phoebe Smith told RT. 

“At this time, the SWAT team had already opened the door to the critical care room and he had surrendered to the police, but he surrendered knowing his son had squeezed his hand,” she added.

George Jr. had fallen into a coma after suffering a stroke in January. Doctors had declared him brain dead, while George II’s ex-wife and other son made the decision to turn off the life support machine.

However, there was one person who was not going to give up hope.

“The SWAT team had their own doctors and when they entered into the critical care room, they saw that my client’s son was not brain dead because he was making eye contact, was following their commands and they were completely amazed at this,” Smith dded. 

The Pickerings' family lawyer also praised the courage and determination shown by George Sr. 

“The amazing thing was that my client was right and that his son did survive. 

When you see him now, he is a picture of health. I don’t think he would have survived but for the fact that his father slowed the process down."

After feeling signs of life from his son, George Sr. peacefully surrendered to the police. He was subsequently sentenced to 10 months’ prison time. He was released in December, just in time to spend Christmas with his son.

“There was a law broken, but it was broken for all the right reasons. I’m here now because of it. It was love, it was love,”George III told KPRC.

“The important thing is I'm alive and well, my father is home and we're together again.”