A Texas college legislation professor suffered a coronary heart assault in the midst of class — earlier than being rescued by his college students, together with a Navy SEAL veteran, whom he has credited for saving his life.
Michael Maslanka, a 73-year-old affiliate professor, was delivering a lecture on the UNT Dallas Faculty of Legislation when he ominously informed his college students he won’t be capable of proceed earlier than immediately blacking out on Oct. 6.
“I simply noticed blackness,” the longtime litigator informed the college Tuesday.
College students sprang into motion when Maslanka collapsed.
Among the many college students who rushed to his support was third-year scholar Matthew Melton, a Navy SEAL veteran who had beforehand taught CPR courses whereas serving within the US Particular Forces.
Melton, who was beforehand deployed to Bahrain in 2001 and Iraq in 2005, skilled with the 18 Delta medics and area surgeons who labored to avoid wasting lives on the battlefield.
The 45-year-old stated his previous experiences in battle zones taught him to “at all times have the ability and able to pivot and at all times be open to what may occur.”
“College students have been freaking out. Motion wanted to be taken,” he informed the legislation college.
Melton, who’s coaching to develop into a lawyer, carried out three rounds of CPR on the professor however he was nonetheless not out of the woods.
“He got here again. Then he went out [of consciousness] once more. I used to be going from chest compressions to compelled air [in his mouth]. Once I did the primary compression, I might hear his ribs break.”
Maslanka shouted when he regained consciousness — however was unaware of his environment, in accordance with the veteran.
“He thought his life was about to be extinguished. He didn’t know the place he was,” Melton stated.
Whereas Melton, a cybersecurity skilled, labored on the legislation prof, Sanchez, who misplaced her dad to a coronary heart assault two years in the past, turned to prayer.
“Everybody was bawling,” she stated of the horrifying ordeal.
Maslanka skilled an irregular coronary heart rhythm often called ventricular tachycardia — a situation the place the higher and decrease chambers of the guts exit of sync.
He regained consciousness and spent 11 days recovering within the hospital, crediting the scholars for saving his life, evaluating his near-death expertise to a crossroads.
“I had one which evening. Life or demise,” he stated, earlier than paying tribute to his college students.
“They knew what to do. They organized themselves intuitively. And that saved my life. Let me simply be clear,” he informed WFAA.
“I might not be right here at this time if my college students didn’t act rapidly, thoughtfully and responsibly. I might be useless. They saved my life.”
It has since emerged that 12 years in the past the professor appeared in a Texas Bar program titled “Mike Maslanka @ your desk” – the place he really inspired his college students to “assume like a SEAL.”
He’s additionally written an article entitled “4 Life Hacks That Dying (Twice) Taught Me,” which might be printed within the Texas Lawyer publication.
Maslanka, who first joined the college in 2015, has since made a return to the legislation school – educating ethics and employment legislation.
