Hero
Digest
This episode of The Mr. Ballen Podcast features three true stories about heroes. The first story, "A Father's Love," tells the story of George Pickering III, a 27-year-old Texas man who suffered a massive stroke and was declared brain dead. His father, George Pickering Jr., refused to believe his son was gone and held doctors at gunpoint to keep him on life support. Miraculously, George woke up and made a full recovery. The second story, "Transplant," tells the story of Conrad Roland, a former NFL player who became an organ donor. After suffering a brain aneurysm, Conrad's heart was donated to his childhood hero, baseball Hall of Famer Rod Karoo. The third story, "The Manoeuvre," tells the story of David Hartsock, a skydiving instructor who saved his student, Shirley Diggert, from a fatal accident. During a tandem jump, Dave's main parachute malfunctioned, and he was unable to deploy his reserve shoot in time. As they were falling towards the ground, Dave sacrificed himself to save Shirley by flipping them around so that his back would hit the ground first. Shirley survived with serious injuries, but Dave was paralyzed from the neck down. This episode is a testament to the power of love, sacrifice, and the human spirit.
Outlines
![](https://s3.castbox.fm/webstatic/images/book.5d108c35.png)
Introduction
This Chapter introduces the episode and mentions that it will feature three stories about heroes. The audio for these stories has been pulled from the main YouTube channel and remastered for this episode. Links to the original YouTube videos are in the description.
![](https://s3.castbox.fm/webstatic/images/book.5d108c35.png)
A Father's Love
This Chapter tells the story of George Pickering III, a 27-year-old Texas man who suffered a massive stroke and was declared brain dead. His father, George Pickering Jr., refused to believe his son was gone and held doctors at gunpoint to keep him on life support. Miraculously, George woke up and made a full recovery.
![](https://s3.castbox.fm/webstatic/images/book.5d108c35.png)
Transplant
This Chapter tells the story of Conrad Roland, a former NFL player who became an organ donor. After suffering a brain aneurysm, Conrad's heart was donated to his childhood hero, baseball Hall of Famer Rod Karoo.
![](https://s3.castbox.fm/webstatic/images/book.5d108c35.png)
The Manoeuvre
This Chapter tells the story of David Hartsock, a skydiving instructor who saved his student, Shirley Diggert, from a fatal accident. During a tandem jump, Dave's main parachute malfunctioned, and he was unable to deploy his reserve shoot in time. As they were falling towards the ground, Dave sacrificed himself to save Shirley by flipping them around so that his back would hit the ground first. Shirley survived with serious injuries, but Dave was paralyzed from the neck down.
Keywords
Brain Aneurysm
A brain aneurysm is a bulging or ballooning of a blood vessel in the brain. If the aneurysm bursts, it's fatal about 50% of the time, and for the people who survive a ruptured aneurysm, most likely they will suffer from significant neurological deficits.
Tandem Skydiving
Tandem skydiving is a type of skydiving where a student is attached to the front of their instructor, literally they're buckled onto them, and then the two of them leap out of the plane together with the student never detaching from the instructor. This method allows the student to just kind of go along for the ride and have no responsibility while the instructor who's attached to them does everything.
Death Spiral
A death spiral is a dangerous situation that can occur during a skydive when a parachute becomes tangled and the jumper begins to spin uncontrollably. This can cause the jumper to lose consciousness and can be fatal.
Down Plane
A down plane is a dangerous situation that can occur during a skydive when two parachutes catch wind going in opposite directions, causing the jumper to speed up straight towards the ground. It's almost impossible to get out of a down plane, and it's often fatal.
Rod Karoo
Rod Karoo is a baseball Hall of Famer who was the childhood hero of Conrad Roland, a former NFL player who donated his heart to Karoo after suffering a brain aneurysm.
George Pickering III
George Pickering III is a 27-year-old Texas man who suffered a massive stroke and was declared brain dead. His father, George Pickering Jr., refused to believe his son was gone and held doctors at gunpoint to keep him on life support. Miraculously, George woke up and made a full recovery.
David Hartsock
David Hartsock is a skydiving instructor who saved his student, Shirley Diggert, from a fatal accident. During a tandem jump, Dave's main parachute malfunctioned, and he was unable to deploy his reserve shoot in time. As they were falling towards the ground, Dave sacrificed himself to save Shirley by flipping them around so that his back would hit the ground first. Shirley survived with serious injuries, but Dave was paralyzed from the neck down.
Shirley Diggert
Shirley Diggert is a woman who went skydiving for the first time on her 54th birthday. During the jump, her instructor, David Hartsock, sacrificed himself to save her from a fatal accident.
Q&A
What happened to George Pickering III and how did his father save him?
George Pickering III suffered a massive stroke and was declared brain dead. His father, George Pickering Jr., refused to believe his son was gone and held doctors at gunpoint to keep him on life support. Miraculously, George woke up and made a full recovery.
How did Conrad Roland's heart save his childhood hero?
Conrad Roland, a former NFL player, became an organ donor. After suffering a brain aneurysm, Conrad's heart was donated to his childhood hero, baseball Hall of Famer Rod Karoo.
What happened to David Hartsock and Shirley Diggert during their skydiving accident?
During a tandem jump, Dave's main parachute malfunctioned, and he was unable to deploy his reserve shoot in time. As they were falling towards the ground, Dave sacrificed himself to save Shirley by flipping them around so that his back would hit the ground first. Shirley survived with serious injuries, but Dave was paralyzed from the neck down.
What is the significance of these stories?
These stories are a testament to the power of love, sacrifice, and the human spirit. They show that even in the face of tragedy, there is hope and that even the smallest act of kindness can have a profound impact on someone's life.
Show Notes
Today’s podcast will feature 3 stories of heroic acts. The audio from all three stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today's podcast.
Story names, previews & links to original YouTube videos:
- #3 -- "A Father’s Love" -- One father will stop at nothing to protect his child (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/Pzm-T_btfa0?feature=shared)
- #2 -- "Transplant" -- The ending is worth the wait (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/lG6ghojk3oQ?feature=shared)
- #1 -- "The Maneuver" -- A skydiving disaster story, however, it does not go the way you might expect it to (Original YouTube link -- https://youtu.be/7M4etV1_iBc?feature=shared)
To donate to Dave's Go Fund Me, click this link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/david-b-hartsock-heroic-skydiver
For 100s more stories like these, check out our main YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallen
If you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballen
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.