FRESNO, CA (KFSN/CNN) – An 8-year-old boy from California is being called a hero after performing the Heimlich maneuver on his classmate, who was choking on a gummy bear.
During a Valentine’s Day party at school, 7-year-old Makayla Annis was talking to a friend when the unthinkable happened.
"My desk partner made me laugh too hard when I ate a gummy bear, and then I kind of tried to swallow it and started choking,” Makayla said.
But 8-year-old Andrew Ramirez didn’t hesitate when he saw the girl turning pink.
"I saw Makayla choking, grabbing her neck, and I quickly gave her the Heimlich maneuver,” Andrew said. "If she turned blue, she would have to go to the hospital, too, so I didn't want that to happen."
Makayla says she spit the gummy bear out in the trash can.
When Andrew’s father picked him up from school, he was stunned to hear the 8-year-old knew what to do.
"My daughter – she's 5 – 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,” Dr. Rene Ramirez said.
Ramirez is an emergency room physician.
"Heimlich maneuver, that's a big word. Do you even know what the Heimlich maneuver is? And he was like, ‘Yeah, you taught me,’” Ramirez said.
Ramirez didn’t realize Andrew had even practiced the technique.
"If they're choking, you get them right about here [in the abdomen], and you just push back like you're giving them a really hard hug,” Andrew said.
Andrew appears destined for the medical field, saying he would like to be a doctor like his father.
"I did let him know if he is to be an emergency medicine doctor, like me, he just had his first save,” Ramirez said.
In the meantime, Makayla and Andrew will always have a story to share about the importance of listening to your parents.
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