Special to The Landmark HOLDEN — “It could have gone the other way,” Kim McLaren said of her son’s experience, when emergency responders saved his life. “As a parent, I hope you never have to have the experience of seeing your child go blue and in an ambulance not knowing if he was alive or dead.” McLaren praised the personnel who responded in September when her 3-year-old son Max was choking. The call came in from the home that little Max was choking, and dispatcher Mike McKiernan sent fire personnel to the home, followed in minutes by the ambulance, Fire Chief Russ Hall said.