Choking child’s life is saved by the quick actions of CPR-trained neighbor
The child, who has Cornelia de Lange syndrome, started choking after a piece of food not blended finely enough became lodged in his throat A quick-thinking mother and her CPR-trained neighbor prevented tragedy.

When Stephanie George’s 7-year-old son, Sebastian, began choking on a piece of food, she panicked, unsure of how to help him. She started dialing 911 but feared emergency responders would not arrive in time.

“I grabbed my phone to call 911, but as I was reaching for my phone and unlocking it and typing in the number and looking to assess Sebastian, he was already blue,” George told ABC News. “And that’s when I started to panic.”

According to ABC News, Sebastian has Cornelia de Lange syndrome, a genetic condition that can cause feeding difficulties, so he eats blended food through a feeding tube. On this day, however, a piece of chicken was not ground finely enough and became lodged in his throat.

In desperation, George ran to her neighbor Gary Hutchinson’s home for help. The life-saving moment was captured on video, showing George cradling Sebastian and explaining the situation.

Hutchinson took the child from George’s arms and performed back blows to dislodge the obstruction. George’s relieved sigh is audible as the piece of food was cleared.

“Don’t be scared,” Hutchinson said to comfort the terrified Sebastian. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. I’ve got you, bro.”

Hutchinson appears to have performed the necessary first aid steps correctly.

According to the American Red Cross, to assist a choking child, the child should be positioned face down with their head lower than their body, followed by five firm back blows — as Hutchinson is seen doing in the video.

If the child continues to choke, they should be turned face up, again with the head lower than the body, and given five quick chest thrusts.

“I did exactly the way I was trained — hold the airway open, put the baby on my leg, slight thrust to the upper back,” Hutchinson told ABC News. “They taught us in the class that when you need it, you’ll know it.”

George reported that Sebastian has since recovered, with no further complications.

“Things could have been so much worse,” she said.