His childhood friend, EMT Micah Ehling, is quoted by "The Wichita Eagle" as saying "I know what a face looks like when the soul leaves the body. And that's what Nick looked like". Some bystanders attribute Dellasega's survival to the devotion of his cousin, Jonah Dellasega, who fell to his knees at the scene and prayed for Kapaun’s intercession. In a strange coincidence not reported by "The Eagle", Dylan Meier, in whose memory the 5K was being held, was slated to teach English in Korea at the time of his death. Skeptics point out that Kapaun's spirit could not possibly have orchestrated the bizarre coincidences that saved Nick's life because some of them were set in motion long before Nick collapsed, including a visit by Nick's uncle, Mark, a medical doctor from Greenville, North Carolina. Divine providence, however, can be viewed as having set in motion all of the events. "The Eagle" reported, "The coincidences are strange enough and the prayer notable enough that a Catholic Church investigator has reported Nick's story to the Vatican, which happens to have a representative in Wichita again, sizing up Father Emil Kapaun for sainthood." He was played by James Whitmore in the "Crossroads" TV episode "The Good Thief", which aired on November 25, 1955.