Union City Police Officer's Son Battles Health Crisis

The Union City Police Department is asking for prayers for their law enforcement family.

Officer James Hall’s teenage son, Jake, is at Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center after becoming unconscious on Monday.

Hall said his son was at church camp in Oklahoma City, when his wife called him in a panic.

Hall said, “She had gotten the call from the church saying he passed out and was unresponsive.”

Officer Hall describes Jake as a healthy, goofy 15-year-old athlete, which made what happened all the more shocking. 

“I had no control of my emotions. It was just surreal,” said Hall. 

Jake was resuscitated twice at church camp. Multiple people on campus did CPR. The ambulance arrived, and paramedics used a defibrillator, and then rushed him to the ICU.

“They weren’t sure if he was going to wake up,” said Hall.

He said doctors and nurses worked on Jake for several hours and had to place him in a hypothermia cooling wrap.

On Wednesday, the doctors started to warm him back up and were going to check his neurological function. Hall said it was a painful wait, not knowing if his son would regain consciousness.

However, Hall believes what happened next was a miracle.

“Not only did he respond, he woke up,” said Hall.

Jake opened his eyes for about one minute.

“I asked him if he could see me and he squeezed my hand,” said Hall. 

It was a relieving moment for Hall and his wife.

Doctors are still running tests, but believe Jake has a cardiac disorder called Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome. From those at the church camp to the hospital workers, many people helped save Jake’s life.

“This is not something we anticipated on happening obviously,” said  Hall.

He knows it will be a financial burden, but says his child’s health is worth it. Hall is not only a full-time police officer. He also an employee at Fowler Honda in Norman. Both of his employers are giving him time off to be with his son. The Union City Police Department set up a GoFundMe page to help with Jake’s medical expenses.

Hall has seen a lot in his line of work as a law enforcement officer.

He said, “I expect to save somebody’s life, not to be the recipient of that. I’m forever grateful.”