He said he knew the signs because he himself has choked once before.
An eighth-grader came to his best friend's aid and gave him the Heimlich maneuver, which he was somehow able to perform despite never being taught the life-saving method.
Alex Safran, 13, was in religion class when he noticed his friend Mason Grenci was choking. He quickly jumped into action.
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“He went to take a drink out of his water bottle and one of the top parts of his cap got lodged in his throat and he started choking and he started signaling for help,” Safran told InsideEdition.com. “I knew he was serious because he had a red face and tears.”
Safran said he told the teacher and she went to go get help. In that moment, he contemplated whether he should help or wait for the teacher.
“I trusted my gut,” said Safran.
He performed the Heimlich maneuver on his friend and the bottle cap piece shot out of Grenci’s mouth, he said.
“I have choked in the past before and my mom had to do to the Heimlich on me so I just tried to remember what she did,” said Safran.
Thankfully, that recollection saved Grenci's life.
Read: 13-Year-Old Certified to Perform First Aid and CPR Saves Little Boy Choking On Piece of Candy
“The teacher came in the room and congratulated and made sure Mason was okay,” Safran said. “I felt proud of myself and happy Mason was still here.”
Vicki Safran, the boy's mom, was surprised by his action.
“I was very proud of him. I was a little shocked because he’d never had any Red Cross training. It was especially neat because they are best friends," she said.
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