A surgeon was the first person to call George Knorps in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka, Ill.

It was the kind of call that can stop a parent's heart.

"You think the worst and pray for the best," Knorps said Tuesday. His son, Michael Knorps, was starting his first day of college at the University of Colorado, hundreds of miles away, on Monday. He was stabbed in the neck by a man who then turned the knife on himself, according to police.

The surgeon called as he was about to operate on the second youngest of George Knorps' seven children.

"It was a pretty upsetting situation," Knorps said. "No, it was very upsetting."

George Knorps stood outside his daughter's Boulder home Tuesday as his son slept inside - the muscles and skin of the teen's neck stitched together.

He talked about the encouraging strength of his son, the fine line the student walked between life and death, and the risk a parent takes when letting a child go.

"If the cut would have been slightly deeper, he would have faced very serious complications, if not death," Knorps said.

He and his wife landed in Colorado about 8 p.m. Monday, a few hours after their son was released from the hospital.

The finance major didn't attend classes Tuesday, and he may stay out the rest of the week.

But, family members said, he is making weekend plans: His brother-in-law said he's hoping to go to the CU-Colorado State football game on Saturday.