Dr. Fred Lang ’80 Rescues Woman From Houston Flooding

When a woman in need sent out an urgent request for help, Dr. Fred Lang ’80 was there to answer the call.

Late last month, during the floods that devastated parts of Houston, a resident in the area posted a note on social media alerting her friends and family that she was stranded in a building, trapped by rising waters. The online post made its way into the feed of Gildy Lang (Fred’s wife) who recognized the address. So she passed the cry for help on to her husband.

“I decided well, it’s maybe about three-quarters of a mile away. Things were looking a little bit better where I was so I basically said an ‘Our Father,’ said a ‘Hail Mary,’ prayed for wisdom and set out down to the place where she was living to see if we could get her out of there,” Lang said in an interview with Fox 5 DC.

“I thought I was losing it,” recalled Mikki Talley, upon realizing someone had come to help. “I didn’t know what was going on because we had just gotten up and I thought I could be dreaming,” she said. “I heard my name being called so I ran to the door and said, ‘Hello?’ And he said, ‘Hi, are you Mikki?’ And I said, ‘Yes!’ And he said, ‘I’m Dr. Fred Lang and I’m coming to get you. Come on let’s go!’”

A video interview conducted by FOX 5 D.C. with Talley and Dr. Lang is embedded above.

Dr. Lang, a leader in the field of neurosurgery, currently serves as Professor and Director of Clinical Research in the Department of Neurosurgery at MD Anderson. He is also Adjunct Professor of Neurosurgery at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.