An 8-year old boy from Fresno, California is being hailed as a hero after he saved a classmate who started choking during a Valentine’s Day party.
“My desk partner made me laugh too hard when I ate a gummy bear and then I kind of tried to swallow it and I started choking,” explains 7-year old Makayla Annis.
Makayla was able to convey that she was choking to some of her classmates, including 8-year old Andrew Ramirez.
“When I was choking I was holding my neck,” says Makayla. “I saw him and I was pointing to my neck.”
When Andrew recognized that Makayla was choking, he leapt into action to perform the Heimlich maneuver. With a little help from Andrew, Makayla was able to spit out the gummy bear.
kcra.com
“If she turned blue she would have to go to the hospital too so i didn’t want that to happen,” said Andrew.
It turns out Andrew learned how to do the Heimlich maneuver from his father, who’s an emergency room doctor. However, Dr. Rene Ramirez still had a hard time believing the story at first and even had to call Makayla’s parents to confirm it with them.
“My daughter, she’s five,” said Dr. Rene Ramirez. “She’s like ‘Andrew’s a hero, Andrew’s a hero.’ I was like, ‘Hold on, you know little kids kind of exaggerate and tell tall tales.”
Without realizing it, Dr. Ramirez had taught Andrew to do the Heimlich with perfect technique. Dr. Ramirez said it was Andrew’s first save. Even at 8-years old, Andrew says he’d like to be a doctor someday.
Meanwhile, Makayla has an interesting story to tell and a new hero.
“I was very surprised,” Makayla said pointing to Andrew. “This young gentleman helped me.”