It’s an 8 year old boy celebrated as a hero after saving his choking friend’s life in the elementary school cafeteria.
According to local reports, Thomas Conley, a second-grader at Porter Elementary School in Mesa, Arizona, noticed his friend choking on a grape and jumped into action.
Conley immediately performed the Heimlich maneuver – also known as abdominal thrusts – on Isaiah Rodriguez, causing the grape to slip.
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Mesa Public Schools praised Conley on social media following the heroic moment that occurred on Nov. 14.
An 8-year-old boy is being hailed as a hero after saving the life of his choking friend in the elementary school cafeteria. (Candice Conley/Mesa Public Schools)
“Thanks to Thomas’ quick thinking, Isaiah was able to do this 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 life-saving actions.
“We are so proud of him,” she said. “Thomas is very quick-thinking and active – and he’s just a really good friend.”
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The family often discusses things Food safety and kitchen safety at home, Conley said, since she and her husband both worked in the food industry and she now works at the Maricopa County Health Department.
“I think a lot of people, maybe even some adults, don’t realize that someone is choking,” she said. “Thomas just knew he had to take a breath to get up and remove 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, are “so grateful,” Conley told Fox News Digital.
“When I saw his mother for the first time, I just hugged her,” she said. “Most of all, we are so grateful that Isaiah is doing well.”
“Thomas is very quick-thinking and active – and he’s just a really good friend.”
“I’m super grateful and I wanted him to know how proud and grateful I am of him,” Isaiah’s mother, Maria Anderson, said in a video posted by the Mesa Fire and Medical Department. “He and my son have been friends for a long time.”
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Conley said Thomas was “very casual” about what happened.
“He just said, ‘My friend needed help, so I helped him,'” she said.
Porter Elementary held an assembly with first responders from the Mesa Fire and Medical Department, who recognized Thomas’ brave act and presented him with a certificate in front of his classmates. (Candice Conley)
“It’s super cool that Thomas was involved and that we can raise awareness about choking because it could have turned out really terrible that day.”
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Thomas said: “I’ve probably never had this much attention in my life.”
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Last week, Porter Elementary held an assembly with first responders from the Mesa Fire and Medical Department, who recognized Thomas’ brave act and presented him with a certificate in front of his classmates.
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 break into an extraordinary act of bravery and made a huge difference,” they wrote. “When Thomas saw his friend in distress, he wasted no time in springing into action to save Isaiah’s life from a choking accident. Join us in applauding this young hero. Thomas, you inspire us to act boldly and quickly.”
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The 1975 by Dr. The Heimlich maneuver, introduced by Henry Heimlich, is recommended in the American Heart Association guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergencies Cardiovascular care as the first line of treatment for airway obstruction.
Research has shown that the maneuver has a success rate of more than 86% in cases of choking.
