An Oklahoma boy is being hailed a hero after he saved a classmate’s life during a normal lunch session that nearly turned deadly.
Third-grade student Garrett Brown was sitting with his friends in the Lakeview Elementary cafeteria when his classmate, Cashton York, began choking on a chicken nugget, according to ABC News.
The 8-year-old jumped to his classmate’s rescue without hesitation.
Music teacher, Jordan Nguyen, told the outlet she heard children screaming and ran over to see what was happening. But by the time she got over to the table, the food was dislodged and York was breathing again.
“Instead of shouting, he jumped to the other side of the table, went behind Cashton, and did a couple thrusts of the Heimlich maneuver, and it only took about two thrusts and he was able to dislodge the food,” Nguyen said.
The young hero said he was trained by his father on the first-aid skill.
“My dad taught me whenever I was choking, and so he taught me how to do it in case anybody else was doing it,” Brown told KKTV
Last Friday, Lakeview Elementary held a surprise ceremony for Brown honoring him for his quick thinking. He was honored with a Hero Award for “bravely jumping into action at a moment’s notice to save another student while they were choking.”
Representatives of the Norman Fire and Police departments were in attendance and praised Brown’s family for teaching their child the life-saving maneuver calling his actions “swift and courageous.”
Lakeview Elementary staff are putting together kid-friendly first aid classes to help prevent further incidents.
Lakeview Elementary is a part of the Norman Public Schools district in Norman, Oklahoma, located about 20 miles south of Oklahoma City.