Losing your child to a mundane thing is a nightmare none can fathom.
In the United States alone, choking is the fourth leading cause of unintentional deaths in children. Five-year-old kids and under are at greater risk of choking injury and death especially when around small toys like marbles, dice, or toy bricks.
These seemingly mundane things pose a danger to children, and it’s terrifying to think that we can lose our children to these items if we’re not careful, or if we’re not equipped with proper first aid techniques.
This was the case for a family in Atlantic Beach, Florida.
Lucca Martinez was playing with his 4-year-old sister Elena when disaster struck. They were playing with marbles that looked a lot like candy or sweets.
“She pretended two marbles were two marshmallows, so she put them in her mouth. Then she was laughing, and then suddenly she went like this,” Lucca said to News 4 JAX as he grabbed his throat to reenact the scene.
At that moment, Lucca knew he had to do something.
Both their parents are doctors, but there was no time to call for them. Luckily, Lucca remembered something from the past.
When his parents were training their nanny to deliver the Heimlich maneuver, Lucca was also watching and listening. He didn’t know how important the maneuver was back then until it was his turn to try it out in real life.
Lucca acted quickly.
He got into position behind his sister and lifted her.
“I knew she was choking, so I got behind her, and then I pulled.” He explained to News 4 JAX, “The first time I pulled it didn’t work. In the second time, both of the marbles came out.”
Lucca successfully dislodged the hazard from his sister and averted what would’ve been a nightmare. They ran up to their parents’ room after and woke them up.
The mom and dad were both shaken by the incident, but still grateful.
They could’ve lost their daughter, but thanks to their quick-witted and reliable son, the family is still together.
“At the same time, we were overjoyed and so proud of him that he’d done it,” Juan Carlos Martinez said to the news outlet. “Mary and I looked at each other and almost broke down. Just the thought of that happening and how easily it could have been so terrible.”
“I would have come downstairs and had my blue child, you know – I kind of can’t even think about that,” Mary Ellen Wechter said. “It’s that part (that’s) not really real. But the fact that he knew what to do, it’s still kind of a miracle to me, kind of amazing.”
Both parents said they didn’t teach the kids to do the maneuver.
However, both kids were watching when they were demonstrating it for the nanny. As health professionals, they know the importance of first aid. And luckily for them, their kids knew about it too.
They also hope that this incident can help parents become more invested in training their kids and themselves, especially with life-saving maneuvers.
Watch the video below to hear from the little hero yourself!
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