Child performs Heimlich maneuver on friend to save him from choking
WRAL, SURVEILLANCE VIDEO, CNN
By Lora Lavigne
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RALEIGH, North Carolina (WRAL) — A 9-year-old at a Raleigh charter school stepped in at the right time to help save a classmate from choking.
The second grader was gasping for air and struggling to breathe before his friend took action.
Eric Johnson, the executive director of Raleigh Oak Charter School, said the incident happened last week during recess.
Jayceon Branch, who is 9, and Donye Moore, who is 7, were playing basketball at the time.
“We were playing basketball and he ate a granola bar and we started playing longer until he started choking. I didn’t know he was actually, actually chocking, so I just did my thing, which was a Heimlich,” said Jayceon.
The unbelievable moment was captured on school surveillance video.
In the video, you can see Donye stop playing and begin to bend over struggling to breathe. Jayceon noticed immediately and came to his rescue, squeezing his abdomen to expel the food.
“I learned it from watching YouTube because a teacher saw a student choking and the student came to the teacher and started doing this and then the teacher started doing what I did to Donye,” Jayceon described.
The boy performed the lifesaving technique without hesitation, shocking teachers and their parents.
“We teach our kids to take care of each other, so this is really just a prime example of that,” Johnson said. “Jayceon just jumped into action so quickly. We’re really proud of him.”
Jayceon’s father, Oluefami Branch, said he panicked when he initially saw a missed call from the school on the day of this event.
“I’ve had to be called to the school before for him. I was hoping this time … I was like oh my gosh, don’t let this be bad. But I got the voicemail and he told me it was all good news,” said Branch.
The boys’ mothers saw video of the incident for the first time Sunday. They were still in disbelief of what they saw.
“At first, I wasn’t understanding that he had to be given the Heimlic maneuver or anything like that. It was surprising. I’m just thankful his friend was able to demonstrate that on him,” said Aja Moore, Donye’s mother.
The two students were already great friends, but this incident drew a greater bond between the two.
WRAL News asked Donye how he felt about his friend being there by his side. He said he was “surprised” and it “felt good” that he was there for him.
Raleigh Oak Charter School also plans to celebrate Jayceon’s act of heroism soon at the school.
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