An 8-year-old boy is being hailed a hero after saving the life of his friend who was choking in the primary school cafeteria.
Thomas Conley, a second-grader at Mesaport Elementary School in Arizona, noticed his friend was choking on a grape and took immediate action, according to local reports.
Conley immediately performed the Heimlich maneuver, also known as abdominal thrusts, on Isaiah Rodriguez to remove the grape.
Blind boy undergoes life-changing eye surgery: ‘What a blessing’
Mesa Public Schools praised Conley on social media following the heroic moment on Nov. 14.
An 8-year-old boy is being hailed a hero after saving the life of his friend who was choking in the primary school cafeteria. (Candace Conley/Mesa Public Schools)
“Thanks to Thomas’ quick thinking, Isaiah was able to breathe normally again. Thank you, Thomas, for your courage, you have become a true hero!”
Thomas’ mother, Candice Conley, spoke to Fox News Digital about Thomas’ life-saving operation.
“We’re so proud of him,” she said. “Thomas is quick-thinking, active, and he’s a very good friend.”
Dad surprises his 3 kids with last family rideshare before retirement
Conley said food safety and kitchen safety are discussed frequently at home because she and her husband both work in the food industry and she now works for the Maricopa County Public Health Department.
“I think a lot of people, even some adults, may not realize that someone is choking,” she said. “Thomas just knew he had to suck in air to go up and move the grapes out of the way.”
Thomas Conley (right) saves his friend Isaiah Rodriguez (left) who choked on a grape in the school cafeteria. (Candace Conley)
Conley told Fox News Digital that the parents of Rodriguez, the boy Thomas Conley saved, are “extremely grateful.”
“The first time I met his mother, I just hugged her,” she said. “Most importantly, we are so grateful that Isaiah is okay.”
“Thomas is quick-thinking, active, and he’s a very good friend.”
“I’m so grateful and I want him to know how proud and grateful I am for him,” Isaiah’s mother, Maria Anderson, said in a video released by the Mesa Fire and Medical Department. “He and my son have always been friends. “
Click here to get the Fox News app
Conley said Thomas was “very nonchalant” about what happened.
“He was like, ‘My friend needed help, so I helped him,'” she said.
Porter Elementary School held an assembly with first responders from the Mesa Fire and Medical Departments, who recognized Thomas’ bravery and presented him with a certificate in front of his classmates. (Candace Conley)
“It’s really cool that Thomas is a part of this and we can raise awareness about choking because it can be really bad that day.”
“I’ve probably never had so much attention in my life,” Thomas told Fox News Digital.
Click here to subscribe to our health newsletter
Last week, Porter Elementary School held an assembly with first responders from the Mesa Fire and Medical Departments, who recognized Thomas’ bravery and presented him with a certificate in front of his classmates.
Thomas Conley poses with the Mesa Fire Chief, who recognizes the boy’s heroic actions. (Candace Conley)
The Mesa Fire and Medical Department also recognized Thomas on its Facebook page.
“Thomas turned a normal lunch break into an extraordinary act of bravery that made a huge difference,” they wrote. “Seeing his friend in trouble, Thomas jumped into action and saved Isaiah’s life from a choking incident. Life. Join us in applauding this young hero, Thomas, for inspiring us to act bravely and swiftly.”
For more health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
The Heimlich maneuver was proposed by Dr. Henry Heimlich in 1975 and is recommended by the American Heart Association CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Guidelines as the first-line treatment for airway obstruction.
Studies show that this procedure has a success rate of over 86% in cases of asphyxiation.
