A second-grader from Arizona is being hailed a hero after he saved his friend who began choking on his lunch at school, as reported by the NY Post.
Thomas Conley, an 8-year-old student at Porter Elementary School in Mesa, Arizona, was praised for his courageous actions and honored during a school assembly last week for his swift response. On November 14, Conley was having lunch with his friend Isaiah, when suddenly his classmate stood up and fell over the bench.
“I heard him crying, so just like, ‘What’s wrong?’ And for a second, I didn’t know what he was doing. But finally, I realized that he was choking, so I just decided to do the Heimlich,”
Thomas told KYMA.
Isaiah began to choke on a grape. Without a moment’s pause, Thomas quickly jumped into action, wrapping his arms around his friend’s abdomen from behind. In just a few seconds, he was able to dislodge the grape from Isaiah’s throat, ultimately saving his life.
“I’m super grateful, and I wanted him to know how proud I was of him and how thankful I was,”
Isaiah’s mom, Maria Anderson, said in a video posted by Mesa Fire and Medical Department.
Candice Conley, Thomas’ mother, who also works in the food industry, told Fox News Digital, that she taught Thomas food and kitchen safety at home. Those lessons have paid off tremendously.
“We are so proud of him,”
the mom said.
“Thomas is very quick-thinking and active — and he’s just a really good friend.”
At that moment, Thomas didn’t fully grasp the significance of his bravery. His response was,
“It’s because that I don’t want Isaiah to die,”
he told KYMA. Last Tuesday, during an assembly with all his classmates, the Mesa Fire and Medical Department awarded him a certificate to acknowledge his heroic actions.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
