An 8-year-old boy is born hailed as a hero after saving his choking friend’s life in the elementary school cafeteria.
Thomas Conley, a second-grader at Porter Elementary School in Mesa, Arizona, noticed his friend choking on a grape and took action, according to local reports.
Conley immediately performed the Heimlich maneuver – also known as abdominal thrusts – on Isaiah Rodriguez, which dislodged the grape.
BOY WITH BLINDNESS RECEIVES LIFE-CHANGING EYE SURGERY: ‘SUCH A BLESSING’
Mesa Public Schools praised Conley on social media after the heroic moment, which took place on Nov. 14.
An 8-year-old boy is being hailed as a hero after saving the life of his choking friend in the primary school canteen. (Candice Conley/Mesa Public Schools)
“Thanks to Thomas’ quick thinking, Isaiah was able to do just that breathe normally again. Thank you, Thomas, for your courage and for being a true hero!”
Candice Conley, Thomas’ mother, spoke to Fox News Digital about his son’s lifesaving actions.
“We are so proud of him,” she said. “Thomas thinks very quickly and is active, and he is just a very good friend.”
FATHER SURPRISED BY HIS 3 CHILDREN WITH FINAL FAMILY CARPOOL BEFORE RETIREMENT
The family often consults food safety and home kitchen safety, Conley said, as she and her husband both worked in the food industry, and she now works at the Maricopa County Department of Health.
“I think a lot of people, maybe even some adults, might not realize that someone is choking,” she said. “Thomas just knew he needed air to get up there to loosen the grape.”
Thomas Conley (right) saved his friend, Isaiah Rodriguez (left), who was choking on a grape in the school cafeteria. (Candice Conley)
The parents of Rodriguez, the boy Thomas Conley saved, were “so grateful,” Conley told Fox News Digital.
“The first time I saw his mother, I just hugged her,” she said. “We are especially grateful that Isaiah is doing well.”
“Thomas thinks very quickly and is active, and he is just a very good friend.”
“I’m super grateful, and I wanted him to know how proud I was of him and how grateful I was,” Isaiah’s mother, Maria Anderson, said in a video posted by Mesa Fire and Medical Department. “He and my son have been friends for a long time.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Thomas has been “very nonchalant” about what happened, Conley said.
“He was like, ‘My friend needed help, so I helped him,’” she said.
Porter Elementary held a meeting with first responders from the Mesa Fire and Medical Department, who recognized Thomas’ courageous act and presented him with a certificate in front of his peers. (Candice Conley)
“It’s super cool that Thomas played a role in that and that we can raise awareness about choking, because it could have ended really terribly that day.”
Thomas told Fox News Digital: “I’ve probably never had so much attention in my life.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
Last week, Porter Elementary held a meeting with first responders from the Mesa Fire and Medical Department, who recognized Thomas’ courageous act and presented him with a certificate in front of his peers.
Thomas Conley is pictured with the Mesa fire chief, who recognized the boy’s heroic act. (Candice Conley)
The Mesa Fire and Medical Department also recognized Thomas on its Facebook page.
“Thomas turned an ordinary lunch into an extraordinary act of courage that made a huge difference,” they wrote. “Seeing his friend in need, Thomas wasted no time and sprang into action, saving Isaiah’s life from a choking incident. Join us in applause for this young hero. Thomas, you inspire us to act boldly and quickly.”
For more health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
The Heimlich maneuver, introduced by Dr. Henry Heimlich in 1975, recommended by the American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular care as the first line of treatment for airway obstruction.
Research has shown that the maneuver has a success rate of over 86% in choking cases.
