Courtesy

Aden (left) and Asher Yearout

GARLAND - Stephen Yearout has sons ages 4, 3 and nine months. He doesn’t have a whole lot of time to run a national awareness campaign.

But the Garland resident has a cause. And Monday, when he and his 4-year-old Asher Yearout, were credited by state and city officials for saving the life of 3-year-old Aden, the dad-turned-hero turned publicist.

Aden was caught in the cords of the window blinds in the family’s play room on April 29. Asher alerted his father, who came into the room to find the boy hanging by his neck.

Stephen cut the cords to free Aden, breaking a window and injuring his elbow in the process. Then he performed CPR.

“When I cut him down, he was not breathing. He did not have a pulse,” said Yearout, 35.

Upon receiving his awards at Garland Fire Station No. 2, Yearout delivered his two-pronged message — that window dressing cords can be dangerous and that for recognizing the situation and going down the hall to tell his father, Asher is every bit the hero as either himself or the professional aid workers who helped Aden to an apparent full recovery.

“This is a testament that no matter how young you are, you can save a life,” Stephen Yearout said.

Or star in a press conference. Playing in the fire truck and smiling at the TV cameras, the boys clearly seized their moment.

“I saw Aden hung on the cord, then I said ‘You OK?’ two times,” Asher said. “And I told my dad ‘Something’s wrong with Aden.’ ”

Paramedic Kris Chitty said the runs involving kids are the ones you don’t want to make. He was first on the scene.

“I have a 3-year-old daughter, so it hit me pretty hard,” Chitty said. “But they’re very resilient. Lots of sick kids are fighters. They’ll hang on.”

Aden was out of the hospital the next day, in fact, and only dad appeared physically worse for the wear. Stephen has 26 staples in his arm from cuts sustained when the window broke during the rescue.

Yearout has circulated his story on the Internet. He said he contacted the Pennsylvania-based manufacturer of the blinds, Springs Window Fashions, and the company wants to include the family in its annual safety campaign.