Local Dad Shares How His 10-Year-Old Son Helped Save His Life; Asks Community to Send Christmas Cards to Lift His Son’s Spirits

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- “I would like to share with you a story about the biggest hero in my life,” said Nolan Spencer, in regard to his son Nolan III, nicknamed Tripp. Spencer, detailing a harrowing, yet heartfelt and inspiring journey between father and son, recounts their story in the following excerpt:

“I am a single father to the most courageous 10 year old boy that I have ever known. Exactly a year ago on November 29 2019, I was in a horrible accident. It was the day after Thanksgiving, and my son and I were working in my powder coating shop in Spring off of 45. We were going through a rough time in our life so we thought that we would set up a tree in the shop because we didn’t know if we would be able to have one at home or not. Since my son loves arts and crafts I got him set up in the office so he could start making some ornaments for the tree. Before he could even sit down and start working on anything, there was a loud explosion. He rushed back into the shop to see what happened. It was there that he found me bleeding out on the shop floor.
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As I was working on the compressors, a 1-inch air line busted and the metal fitting hit me right in my side, crushing it. It also lacerated my eyebrow. Even though Tripp was horrified and in tears he was still able to rescue me. He knew that I was totally blind at that point because I had lost my left eye in a BB gun accident when I was 9 years old. The first thing he did was help me with first aid by bringing me a roll of shop towels so I could cover my eye and stop the bleeding. Then, he called my business partner from my phone to get him to rush over to the shop and get me. Luckily my business partner was just right down the road and already on his way.
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As we were waiting, my son helped me to the office so that I could sit down on the couch and relax. I was in the hospital for almost 4 days going through surgery and recovery before I was able to be with him again. At that point nobody knew if I would ever be able to see him again.
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So far it has been a rough road in my recovery and I still have a long time to go. I have gotten a little bit of my vision back, enough where I can see shapes and figures. He has been right by my side through everything and I feel like he should be rewarded for his heroism. If it wasn't for his quick response then I probably wouldn't be able to see anything at all. Now, the only thing that has helped me stay mentally strong is my want to be here for him always.
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My business partner, who is a local law enforcement officer for the Houston Area, had to shut down the shop because of the virus so we really have not had much time to get out and back into normal routine. Even though this year has been hard on everybody, my son and I are staying strong. We would like to send a message to the world that it is not the mountains that you climb that make you stronger – it is the journey we take to get there.”

“I really want this story to encourage others during this time. It has really been a rough year, not just on us, but on everybody. If we can all just keep positive, we can make it through this,” Spencer continued.

He asks, that in celebration of his son’s heroism, the community might rally around Tripp during this difficult time by sending Christmas cards his way. “Just to show that people are thinking about him,” Spencer noted. “He really has had a rough year. It would really encourage him to stay strong.”

To help make Tripp Spencer’s season bright, mail your letters to 1900 Westview Blvd #1524 Conroe, TX 77304