He drew a gun and locked down the ICU demanding just one thing: Time.

A Modern-Day John Q

When doctors in Texas declared his son brain-dead and prepared to pull the plug, George Pickering II refused to let go.
Desperate, he drew a gun and locked down the ICU demanding just one thing: time.

For hours, the standoff dragged on. Then, in the stillness, his son squeezed his father’s hand. Twice.

In that instant, George’s defiance was vindicated. His son was alive.

George went to prison for nearly a year.
But his son recovered, completely.
And he calls his father one word the system never would: hero.