CANTON – Dr. Michael Arnold made his first house call when he was in first grade.
On Nov. 2, 1999, Arnold was a 6-year-old who had the presence of mind to call 911 when his dad, Anthony Sr., had a severe epileptic seizure.
When paramedics arrived, the little boy presented them with a list of contacts and comforted his younger brothers, then 4 and 2.
Arnold was awarded the Canton Fire Department s Certificate of Merit for his heroism.
It should have been a pretty good indicator of his future career. He s now a doctor. I definitely was influenced by my dad having epilepsy, Arnold said. My parents divorced when I was pretty young, so I was basically his caretaker for awhile, making sure he was taking his medicine and getting enough sleep. I also discovered I have a gift for science. It definitely pushed me toward medicine.