How Aidan Hutchinson's dad rushed in to help in a medical emergency — mine

DETROIT − One second, I was standing at the front of a plane — a plane full of giddy but exhausted Detroit Lions fans coming back from Kansas City.

I was dizzy, nauseous and seeing stars. I hadn’t slept all night and was rushing back for a wedding. I put my hands on the wall, trying to get my balance.

The next second — at least, that’s what it seemed to me — I regained consciousness on the carpet.

"What happened?” I asked.

My head throbbed.

I remember hearing the stewardess mention the potential for an emergency landing, and I touched my forehead, checking for blood.

“You’re not bleeding,” said the stewardess crouched next to me.

Then some dude just kind of appeared out of nowhere. A big dude. Friendly, familiar-looking.

“I’m a doctor,” he said, crouching down. “Are you having chest pains?”

I looked at him again, coming out of a mental fog, and ... it was Aidan Hutchinson’s dad.

Dr. Chris Hutchinson — yes, the former Michigan football defensive lineman is the guy you want on your next flight.

My first thought: This is so weird, I just saw your son in the locker room after the Lions' win over the Chiefs. Check that, I just saw you and your wife on the broadcast.

I mean, this is just weird, right?

But let’s start from the beginning.

Because everything about this Lions’ win and this trip to Kansas City was surreal; and it revealed something important about the kindness of strangers to some wild moments and wackiness with Lions fans.

The first crazy flight

The flights to Kansas City were insanely expensive, so I took an American Airlines connecting flight on Wednesday afternoon through Charlotte, North Carolina, to save the company some money — but it turned into a long, exhausting day of travel.

The plane was filled with Lions fans. After we landed, it started to get weird. A stewardess made an announcement. She was handing over the microphone to a Lions fan sitting in first class.

“I have a song to sing for everybody very briefly, and then we are all gonna get off this plane,” the fan said over the intercom system.

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How weird. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a passenger take over the microphone in a plane.

“Forward down the field,” he started to sing. “A Lions team that will not yield.”

Some people were joining him.

“And when the Blue and Silver wave.”

It was that awkward moment on a flight, when some people started to get up and stand in the aisle.

“Stand and cheer the brave,” he sang. “Rah! Rah! Rah!”

A few people were signing and clapping, although I heard a few mumble that they didn’t really know the words.

“Ah, you guys stink!” he said.

And then he finished the song.

“A Lions victory!” he sang. “Goooo, Lions!”

It seemed like half the plane cheered and clapped, and the other half was thinking: What the heck just happened?

“Thank you!” he said. “Thank you for having me on American Airlines Flight 1358 with non-stop service to Charlotte!”

Surreal.

Then we all trudged the next gate and waited for a flight to Kansas City.

Could we see this in Detroit?

On Thursday morning, killing time before the night game, I went to a Dick's Sporting Goods in Kansas City. Most of the people in the store were wearing Chiefs gear — 10 hours before kickoff. Or they were shopping for more Chiefs gear. You see the same thing in Wisconsin for the Packers. Everywhere you go.

Again, is this what it would be like? Would a great Lions team take over the Motor City? Would every person in every store be wearing Lions’ stuff?

OK, so that was a rhetorical question — I think Detroit would go absolutely bonkers if the Lions ever got really good.

I got in my car and turned on the radio. They were talking about Patrick Mahomes' greatness.

This team was inescapable in Kansas City.

Yes — I think that’s exactly what it would be like in Detroit, if this team ever became special.

More than three hours before kickoff, I left for the stadium.

I parked at the far end of the parking lot — one of the biggest parking lots I’ve ever seen. My phone recorded 1,100 steps to the stadium, or about a half mile through thousands of Chiefs fans in full tailgate mode.

But I saw something surprising.

There were tons of Lions fans everywhere I turned.

When I got the stadium, I was almost stunned how many Lions fans were already in their seats. Specks of blue were all over Arrowhead. Amazing, considering the Chiefs were celebrating their Super Bowl victory (as well as one three years ago, won just prior to the coronavirus pandemic).

And in the third quarter, they were so loud they drowned out Chiefs fans, yelling: “Let’s go, Lions!” Just amazing.

During games, I have a tablet tuned to the broadcast, so I can monitor it. I glanced down at one point and saw Aidan’s parents on TV.

Chris was mic’d up, and I thought: OK, enough with Aidan's family. We get it, he comes from the perfect family. How many times can TV push that button?

As the game ended, I filed my first column, rushed down to the locker room and interviewed several players.

I glanced at Aidan, wanting to talk to him. He stood with his back to me, by his locker, completely naked; and there’s an unspoken rule that you wait for somebody to get completely dressed before an interview.

“Come on dude, get dressed faster so we can talk to you,” I thought.

He had played a fantastic game.

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But I couldn’t wait for him and went back to the press box, guzzled a bunch of caffeine, did some more work and then headed for the airport.

It was around 4 a.m. Detroit time.

And I had a flight to catch — without getting any sleep.

I turned in my rental car, got on a bus, got to the airport, got through security and found a seat on a Delta plane. I must have fallen asleep with my head tilted forward; and I never sleep like that. Not after having neck surgery a few years ago. My head doesn’t really move like that anymore.

Because I woke up seeing stars. I was nauseous. Lightheaded.

So, I got up to use the bathroom, figuring I needed to stretch my legs.

And yes, now, I know it’s pretty stupid to get up when you feel dizzy.

Timber!

Help has arrived

“Do you have diabetes?” Dr. Hutchinson asked me.

“No,” I said.

“Are you on any medication?”

“No,” I said.

Suddenly, I was feeling better. Incredibly embarrassed. But the dizziness was gone.

“Do you have any numbness?”

“Not any more than normal,” I said.

I had spinal fusion and several fingers are still messed up.

“I haven’t slept,” I said. “I’m going back for a wedding.”

“Whose?”

“Evan Petzold, our Tigers beat writer,” I said.

“When you get back, and you take a nap, your neck is going to be incredibly sore,” Dr. Hutchinson said.

By the time I got back to my seat, my neck was killing me — the good doc nailed it. The stewardess said that I passed out, hit my shoulder and my head snapped and bounced off the ground.

“Then, you kinda skidded,” she said.

When we landed, the paramedics came onto the plane. As people were getting off the plane, the paramedics took my heart rate, blood pressure and stuck electrodes to my stomach and chest.

Everything came back normal. Maybe, I was dehydrated or something with my neck. I have sleep apnea, so maybe, I wasn't breathing properly, cramped up in that seat.

“You have to watch for a brain bleed,” the paramedic said. “You hit your head, you might have a concussion.”

They made me sign a bunch of stuff, noting that I refused to go to the hospital, just to get off the plane.

As I left, the Delta stewardess stopped me. “Can I give you a hug?” she asked.

“Of course.”

Those stewardesses were angels.

Kudos, Delta.

Your folks handled this with such care.

Don't judge a book by your TV screen

After a nap, I felt a lot better. My head was banged up — some scratches and a little swelling — and my neck was killing me, but I went to the wedding in Detroit.

Dr. Hutchinson messaged me while I was heading to the wedding.

"Just following up on our 'flight' together," he wrote. "I hope everything turned out OK. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out.”

What a good dude. It said so much about him. I am now a huge fan of the Hutchinson family — TV can show them every week, on every broadcast, if it keeps him on my flights. He is now my personal flight doctor.

"Thanks so much for your help and reassurance,” I responded. “My head is fine. You were right. My neck is jacked up. I’m sure it will be fine. Thanks again.”

To me, it said so much about him, to jump up and help a stranger, not to mention follow up.

Classy, kind, calm, incredibly genuine and a true pro — I can’t say enough good things about him.

And it was a wakeup call for me. Too often we jump to assumptions when we see people briefly on TV. Too often we form opinions based on nothing but a knee-jerk reaction. I gotta tell you, I have such a different view of him now. A such a different view of their entire family.

"Great glad to hear you are all good,” he messaged.

I have a feeling this is just the start with this team. If they keep winning, I can’t wait to see how it changes the Motor City.

Man, this is gonna be a fun ride.

But next time? I’ll be the guy on the plane, wearing a football helmet. Just to be safe.

Contact Jeff Seidel at jseidel@freepress.com or follow him @seideljeff.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Aidan Hutchinson's dad is a much better guy than you may think from TV