BOONES MILL, Va. (WDBJ) - From an early age, John Poland knew he wanted to protect his home as a firefighter. He made his dream a reality at 16 years old.

“If I needed somebody to work hard or we knew we were going out to do chores, we were testing hybrids, if we were weeding, whatever, the first one I pick is John,” said Captain Baylor Janney with the Boones Mill Fire Department.

He served in that role for nearly two years until he had to have open heart surgery. In the following month, John began a battle for his life.

“The hardest setback was when he coded and he was ultimately put on life support, ECMO, vent,” his mother Louis Poland said. “I was feeling pretty down and just despaired.”

After 26 days in the hospital, our cameras captured the moment John was escorted home. Before ev

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