James Reed is 9 years old and is already a hero. The Daily Mail reports that James, who is a St John cadet, had learned about how to deal with a choking incident earlier during the day. When he returned home he was watching TV with brother Harri (aged 3). They were both eating a sandwich when Harri stopped breathing and started to turn blue. James shouted to his mum, Zara, who was in the next room and immediately put into practice his newly learned skills. After delivering three firm blows to Harri’s back the obstruction was cleared, Harri was able to breathe again, and a disaster was averted.
Afterwards Zara said ‘I’m so grateful that James had been shown the skills needed to save a life. If he hadn’t been there the outcome could have been very different. I am really proud of him.’
With significant modesty James commented ‘I could see Harri was choking so I just did what I’d been shown and it worked really well.’
James has received a special award by St John Ambulance for his lifesaving efforts.