Navy SEAL veteran student saves UNT Dallas law professor after heart attack in class Professor Michael Maslanka, 73, collapsed during a lecture on Oct. 6. Student Matthew Melton, a Navy SEAL veteran, performed CPR and saved his life. Maslanka spent 11 days in the hospital. A 73-year-old law professor at the University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law survived a heart attack after collapsing during class on Oct. 6. His students, including a Navy SEAL veteran, sprang into action to save his life. Michael Maslanka, an associate professor, was teaching when he told the class everything felt blurry and he might not be able to continue. He then blacked out and hit the floor. Third-year law student Matthew Melton, 45, a Navy SEAL veteran who had previously taught CPR classes while serving in the US Special Forces, rushed to help.Navy SEAL Veteran's Combat Training HelpsMelton was deployed to Bahrain in 2001 and Iraq in 2005 and trained with 18 Delta medics and field surgeons. Melton said his past experiences in conflict zones taught him to always be able and ready to pivot and always be open to what might happen. Students were freaking out, he said. Action needed to be taken.He performed three rounds of CPR on Maslanka. He came back, then went out of consciousness again, Melton recalled. Melton went from chest compressions to forced air into Maslanka's mouth. When I did the first compression, I could hear his ribs break, he said.Maslanka shouted when he regained consciousness but was unaware of his surroundings, according to Melton. He thought his life was about to be extinguished. He didn't know where he was, Melton said.Student Prayers And Calls Emergency ServicesMeanwhile, law student Daniella Sanchez called 911. She lost her dad to a heart attack two years ago and turned to prayer. She put her hand over him and said, Father God, in the name of Jesus, I declare healing and victory over this body. Everyone was bawling, she said of the ordeal.By the time paramedics arrived, they rushed Maslanka to the hospital. Doctors stabilized him. He had experienced an abnormal heart rhythm known as ventricular tachycardia, where the upper and lower chambers of the heart go out of sync. He spent 11 days recovering in the hospital.Maslanka credited the students for saving his life. I had one that night. Life or death, he said. They knew what to do.They organized themselves intuitively. And that saved my life. Let me just be clear. I would not be here today if my students did not act quickly, thoughtfully and responsibly.I would be dead. They saved my life. He also praised their calmness. They were calm.Professor Praises Students Like LawyersThey were deliberate and they thought like lawyers. And I was very proud of them, very proud of them, he said. UNT Health physician Jeff Beeson said this is the perfect example of the importance of learning CPR. Melton, a cybersecurity professional, is training to become a lawyer.It has since emerged that 12 years ago Maslanka appeared in a Texas Bar program titled Mike Maslanka @ your desk, where he encouraged his students to think like a SEAL. In that video, he said the Navy SEALs train constantly and are always working at getting better. So, let's do ourselves a favor. Think like a SEAL.Professor Publishes Article About Dying TwiceMaslanka has also written an article entitled Four Life Hacks That Dying (Twice) Taught Me, which will be published in the Texas Lawyer publication. He first joined the university in 2015 and has since returned to the law college, teaching ethics and employment law.