Mike Langston, a driver for Outer Banks Hauling, is not used to a lot of excitement on his job. But recently while making his runs picking up and emptying trash bins, he took action and saved a man's life.
It happened when he saw 75-year-old Pedro Napisa of Moyock, North Carolina lying in his yard after what doctors told him was a stroke. No one else was home. Fortunately, it wasn't long before Mike came driving down Pedro's street.
Initially, Mike thought Pedro was working on his car. "And as I came down through here I saw a gentleman laying on the ground right there. So I just waved at him and went down and pulled that can, and when I turned around and came back through, he was waving his arm up in the air," says Mike.
But Pedro was having difficulty speaking.
"When I waved my hand, he come down and asked me, 'Do you need an ambulance?' I can't still talk."
Mike says it was clear to him that Pedro was having problems.
"Really slurred speech, part of his face didn't look like he could move his face. It was classic symptoms of a stroke."
Mike immediately called 911. Pedro is very grateful, realizing not many people drive down his dead end street and hopes to one day thank Mike in person.
"And this my friend, that I consider friend for life. Saved my life and I have only one thing to tell him, that I'm very proud of him."
Pedro's daughter, Angel Napisa wanted to thank him, too. She's the one who contacted NewsChannel 3 to find Mike.
Here's part of her email: "If my dad would've laid there until someone had gotten home, he probably wouldn't be here with us today. I just want this man to know how thankful the family is for going above and beyond. Also I want the people to know how great of a human being he is."
That's why we presented him with a NewsChannel 3 People Taking Action award and a $100 Visa gift card from our community partner Southern Bank.
Mike believes he was just doing what anyone would do. But Pedro's family says it best in their email, "I feel he's my dad's personal guardian angel."
