Man who died saving girl was extremely ill
KELSO, Wash. (AP) - Allen Heck has been hailed a hero since running into the Cowlitz River last week to save a 9-year-old girl, losing his own life in the process. Unknown by most is that Heck was an extremely ill young homeless man with the simple goal of living to his 21st birthday.
The 20-year-old Longview man had drifted for about three years after diabetes barred him from the only job he ever wanted - serving in the Army. Directionless, he made some bad decisions, family and friends admit, and was living at the Community House shelter at the time of the drowning.
But despite frequent hospitalizations for diabetes and complications and the news he only had a few years to live, at best Heck kept trying to put his life back together, family and friends said. And his actions one week ago surprised no one who knew him.
"That's just the way he was," said former girlfriend Abbie Svoboda, who now lives in Florida. "It was always all about whoever needed help."
"He did have a troubled past, but what my son did the other day was amazing," said Tara Kubacki. "He didn't even think of himself or his health."
Heck was at the Cowlitz River in Kelso on July 17 with his sister's 15-year-old stepson, his 3-year-old niece and one of her friends. They visited the river often to cool down on hot days, sister Shantel Huff recalled.
At about 3 p.m. a 9-year-old girl from a nearby group was playing in the water off of a sandbar and stepped in over head where a shelf drops off to 8 feet deep. The 15-year-old with Heck heard the cries for help first and ran to help, calling for Heck when the panicked girl fought and scratched him, Huff said.
All three Heck children knew how to swim and had taken junior lifeguard classes, so Huff is sure her brother didn't give the rescue a second thought. Heck reached the 9-year-old and was able to hold her up above water even though he also was in over his head. Someone grabbed the girl and set her safely on the sandbar. When they looked back, Heck was gone. His body was found by Cowlitz Dive Team members the next day.
Heck had just been released from the hospital four days before he drowned, one of many hospitalizations in recent months.
Because he was so sick, he could not hold a steady job. He'd find work only to lose it after some complication or overexertion landed him back in the hospital.
Heck fought for two years to get some sort of disability designation because he couldn't come close to working enough to afford his treatment and medicine. Diabetes occurs when the body fails to produce enough insulin to covert sugar into energy. Diabetics often need daily injections of insulin to avoid comas and other complications.
With no money and massive debts, Heck ran into trouble with the law just days before he died.
He told police he was desperate for money to buy his lifesaving insulin, according to court records.
"He was $200,000 in debt," his mother said, shaking her head. "$200,000 at 20 years old."
Worse than the monetary cost, diabetes also took away Heck's hope and dreams, family and friends said.
Heck spent his childhood focused on joining the Army. He spent two years in the junior ROTC program at Salem and delighted in challenging his brother to strength competitions or workouts.
"He liked to show he was better than me, and he was," Kenneth Heck said.
As strong as he was, the Army would not overlook his diabetes, which was diagnosed at age 17.
"He wanted to help people, he wanted to serve his country," his mother said. "When they told him they couldn't take him it just shattered his dreams."
"He was just so bummed out because that was the one thing he really wanted to do," said Svoboda, who dated Heck when they both attended North Salem High School. The two kept in touch via MySpace and Svoboda said while he didn't talk about it much, it was clear Heck was adrift after his military plans fell through.
"It did seem like he was having a hard time dealing with it," she said. "He didn't have a backup plan and he kept trying to find out what he could do. His heart was crushed."
Heck moved out of his mother and stepfather's home while still attending R.A. Long High School. He never graduated and struggled to find a steady job or home, often bouncing between friends and relatives.
"We talked to him on numerous occasions about what he needed to do in life," stepfather Jeff Kubacki said. "But sometimes parents are stupid and kids know it all."
Throughout it all, though, Heck loved spending time with family and delighted in playing with his young niece and nephew.
"I don't know a person out there who didn't make at least one mistake," Huff said. "Maybe he didn't learn from the first one and had to do it a couple of times, but he wasn't a bad person."
"Lately he's been trying to get back on his feet," said childhood friend Joey Malave, who saw Heck at the Salvation Army a week before his death. "He was trying to get his life together and get his own place."
"He was going to LCC and doing odd jobs through a temp agency," his mother said. "I think he was trying to find his niche."
Dogging Heck's every move was the diabetes that threw his entire body out of whack and kept landing him in the hospital.
Doctors told him he'd be lucky to see 25. Recently they had downgraded that to 21, Huff said.
"After the Army, that was his next goal," Huff said. "To live past 21."
Despite the dire prognosis, Heck kept his problems to himself, rarely talking about it or his struggles.
He once helped Community House staff stuff envelopes even though he wasn't feeling well, recalled Mae McCoy. Only at the end did he ask for a ride to the hospital, where he spent the next three days in intensive care, McCoy said.
"He saw something that needed done and he did it, even if he wasn't feeling well," she said.
Heck was known as the family Superman growing up, Jeff Kubacki said, because he always was the first of the three children to try something scary. Huff said he wanted to be strong for everyone else.
Though devastated at their loss, Heck's family repeatedly stressed that the girl Heck saved and her family shouldn't feel guilty about his death. They do hope it increases the use of life jackets around the region's lakes and rivers.
As for Heck, they said he'd be glad he was able to help. And also glad that for once his health did not get in the way.
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The 20-year-old Longview man had drifted for about three years after diabetes barred him from the only job he ever wanted - serving in the Army. Directionless, he made some bad decisions, family and friends admit, and was living at the Community House shelter at the time of the drowning.
But despite frequent hospitalizations for diabetes and complications and the news he only had a few years to live, at best Heck kept trying to put his life back together, family and friends said. And his actions one week ago surprised no one who knew him.
"That's just the way he was," said former girlfriend Abbie Svoboda, who now lives in Florida. "It was always all about whoever needed help."
"He did have a troubled past, but what my son did the other day was amazing," said Tara Kubacki. "He didn't even think of himself or his health."
Heck was at the Cowlitz River in Kelso on July 17 with his sister's 15-year-old stepson, his 3-year-old niece and one of her friends. They visited the river often to cool down on hot days, sister Shantel Huff recalled.
At about 3 p.m. a 9-year-old girl from a nearby group was playing in the water off of a sandbar and stepped in over head where a shelf drops off to 8 feet deep. The 15-year-old with Heck heard the cries for help first and ran to help, calling for Heck when the panicked girl fought and scratched him, Huff said.
All three Heck children knew how to swim and had taken junior lifeguard classes, so Huff is sure her brother didn't give the rescue a second thought. Heck reached the 9-year-old and was able to hold her up above water even though he also was in over his head. Someone grabbed the girl and set her safely on the sandbar. When they looked back, Heck was gone. His body was found by Cowlitz Dive Team members the next day.
Heck had just been released from the hospital four days before he drowned, one of many hospitalizations in recent months.
Because he was so sick, he could not hold a steady job. He'd find work only to lose it after some complication or overexertion landed him back in the hospital.
Heck fought for two years to get some sort of disability designation because he couldn't come close to working enough to afford his treatment and medicine. Diabetes occurs when the body fails to produce enough insulin to covert sugar into energy. Diabetics often need daily injections of insulin to avoid comas and other complications.
With no money and massive debts, Heck ran into trouble with the law just days before he died.
He told police he was desperate for money to buy his lifesaving insulin, according to court records.
"He was $200,000 in debt," his mother said, shaking her head. "$200,000 at 20 years old."
Worse than the monetary cost, diabetes also took away Heck's hope and dreams, family and friends said.
Heck spent his childhood focused on joining the Army. He spent two years in the junior ROTC program at Salem and delighted in challenging his brother to strength competitions or workouts.
"He liked to show he was better than me, and he was," Kenneth Heck said.
As strong as he was, the Army would not overlook his diabetes, which was diagnosed at age 17.
"He wanted to help people, he wanted to serve his country," his mother said. "When they told him they couldn't take him it just shattered his dreams."
"He was just so bummed out because that was the one thing he really wanted to do," said Svoboda, who dated Heck when they both attended North Salem High School. The two kept in touch via MySpace and Svoboda said while he didn't talk about it much, it was clear Heck was adrift after his military plans fell through.
"It did seem like he was having a hard time dealing with it," she said. "He didn't have a backup plan and he kept trying to find out what he could do. His heart was crushed."
Heck moved out of his mother and stepfather's home while still attending R.A. Long High School. He never graduated and struggled to find a steady job or home, often bouncing between friends and relatives.
"We talked to him on numerous occasions about what he needed to do in life," stepfather Jeff Kubacki said. "But sometimes parents are stupid and kids know it all."
Throughout it all, though, Heck loved spending time with family and delighted in playing with his young niece and nephew.
"I don't know a person out there who didn't make at least one mistake," Huff said. "Maybe he didn't learn from the first one and had to do it a couple of times, but he wasn't a bad person."
"Lately he's been trying to get back on his feet," said childhood friend Joey Malave, who saw Heck at the Salvation Army a week before his death. "He was trying to get his life together and get his own place."
"He was going to LCC and doing odd jobs through a temp agency," his mother said. "I think he was trying to find his niche."
Dogging Heck's every move was the diabetes that threw his entire body out of whack and kept landing him in the hospital.
Doctors told him he'd be lucky to see 25. Recently they had downgraded that to 21, Huff said.
"After the Army, that was his next goal," Huff said. "To live past 21."
Despite the dire prognosis, Heck kept his problems to himself, rarely talking about it or his struggles.
He once helped Community House staff stuff envelopes even though he wasn't feeling well, recalled Mae McCoy. Only at the end did he ask for a ride to the hospital, where he spent the next three days in intensive care, McCoy said.
"He saw something that needed done and he did it, even if he wasn't feeling well," she said.
Heck was known as the family Superman growing up, Jeff Kubacki said, because he always was the first of the three children to try something scary. Huff said he wanted to be strong for everyone else.
Though devastated at their loss, Heck's family repeatedly stressed that the girl Heck saved and her family shouldn't feel guilty about his death. They do hope it increases the use of life jackets around the region's lakes and rivers.
As for Heck, they said he'd be glad he was able to help. And also glad that for once his health did not get in the way.
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