Granddaughter Is Hailed As A Hero For Saving Granddad’s Life

MONROE COUNTY, MISS. (WCBI) – A Monroe County man is crediting his granddaughter, doctors, and his faith for helping him pull through a potentially fatal medical emergency.

Every Wednesday afternoon, Madison Moffett and her granddad Rickey go hunting near his Monroe County home.

The pair had just arrived at their favorite hunting spot back on January 13th and were all set.

“Never did get to hunt that day,” Mr. Moffett said.

Madison was in place in her deer stand, but as her granddad, Rickey was walking to his stand about 500 yards away, he knew something wasn’t right.

“Just before I got in my deer stand, I felt a heart attack, it was my third one, I knew what was coming on, so I weighed my options, decided the best thing to do was try and get back to Madison, and I did,” Rickey Moffett said.

“He yelled at me, said go get the four-wheeler, I ran, got it, came back, asked what was wrong, he said he thinks he’s having another heart attack. I was getting stuff ready, getting back to the truck and I had the trailer, four-wheelers loaded, ready for him to do whatever next,” Madison said.

Mr. Moffett was able to drive himself and his granddaughter back to his home, where his family members tended to him until paramedics arrived. He is doing fine now, but he believes it would have been a much different outcome if his granddaughter not been with him.

“That would have been another 500 yards I would have had to walk,” Rickey Moffett said.

Doctors discovered the culprit was a blood clot that had formed in one of Rickey’s stents from 2015. A new stent was implanted to restore blood flow, and two days later he was at a basketball game and hunting the next day, with Madison.

Madison, who is now 13, was given a Life-Saving Award by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks for her heroic efforts. Looking back on it all, Madison and her granddad are grateful for more time together to enjoy those hunting trips.

“I’m relieved and thanking God for him being okay,” Madison said.

Moffett is also thankful for the NMMC Heart and Vascular Institute team, who provided care for him. He also encourages everyone to hunt with a buddy, just in case an emergency occurs.