AUBURN — Andrew Dostie is the man.

The kid is just 12 years old, but you’d have a difficult time convincing his family otherwise. When things went bad on a Winthrop mountain, they say, Andrew Dostie of Auburn showed man-sized calm.

The drama unfolded May 5 as Dostie was hiking with his father, his sister and a family friend. His sister and her friend had already climbed to the top. Andrew and his dad were taking their time catching up. Enjoying the hike. Chilling.

That’s when things went awry.

Andrew’s father, Jay Dostie, remembers it this way:  “I remember the ground moving from left to right in front of me. I couldn’t focus. I was looking for someplace to sit, a log or a rock.”

For Jay, that’s where the memory gets hazy. But his son remembers it all with high-resolution clarity.

“My dad told me he was feeling dizzy,” Andrew said. “He started stumbling and then he fell into a tree.”

Jay, 41, was down, suffering a seizure. He had never suffered one before. No one had been expecting this.

“He was shaking really bad,” Andrew said. “He fell onto his side and then onto his back. He wasn’t breathing very well.”

Andrew stayed calm. He knew he had to call for help with a cellphone. There was just one problem.

He didn’t know where they were.

“Before he was unconscious, I asked my father where we were,” he said.

As it turns out, they were on Mount Pisgah, a relatively small mountain compared to the ones Jay Dostie often hikes when he’s by himself. Today, he had his son by his side and his son was taking care of business.

“I just knew I had to call 911,” Andrew said.

He also called for his sister, Miranda, who came rushing down from the top of the mountain. Miranda called other family members while Andrew calmly explained things to an emergency dispatcher. He spent nearly half an hour on the phone, describing the situation. Emergency crews were able to get into the area via a nearby fire road. When the time came, Andrew went down to meet them.

Back on the mountain, with Miranda at his side, Jay was coming to. He dimly remembers some of it.

He knows that his son stepped up when he was needed.

“I was in seizure for a good 5 to 10 minutes,” he said. “He had the presence of mind to ask me the name of the mountain before I was out. I remember him asking just as I was taking a face plant in the tree. I don’t really have any recollection after that.”

Jay was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. The diagnosis: grand mal seizure. Explanation: none. The CT scan and other tests all came up negative. Jay had no history of seizures or related maladies. He hopes it was isolated. The fact that he had his kids nearby when it happened gives him a bit of a chill.

“I hike all the time and I usually hike alone,” he said. “A week before, I was climbing Bald Mountain. There was ice at the top. If that had happened while I was up there, it would have been a mess. I would have come tumbling down.”

It wasn’t like the family actively discussed what they would do if dad were to fall unconscious. Jay was impressed with the way both kids reacted, getting done what needed to be done and not falling to pieces.

“They were pretty amazing,” he said. “Andrew kept his cool. He did everything right.”

Later, Andrew talked to his mother. By then, the wheels of rescue were fully turning. Jay was being stabilized and was on his way to the hospital. Andrew knew the worst was over but apparently, some adrenaline remained.

“I guess my voice was at a higher pitch,” he said. “My mom thought she was talking to a woman.”

Of course, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a voice laced with emotion. Andrew Dostie kept his wits and got the job done.

And that’s why he’s the man.

mlaflamme@sunjournal.com