Many of us are lucky enough to be able to rely on our neighbors when we have problems or when things get tough.
Some of us would even put our lives in their hands.
That’s what Billy Bass of Central Florida did when he came banging on his neighbor Karen Aranda’s door.
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Well, more like her arms.
You see, Aranda saved Bass’ life using the Heimlich manuever.
Aranda’s heroic action was all caught on video thanks to Aranda’s front door video camera.
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The evening started out as a fairly normal one with Bass enjoying some steak at his home in Waterford Lake.
He started to choke and felt as if he was going to pass out.
Since he doesn’t live with anyone, he thought to ran over to a neighbor’s to get help.
He and Aranda had been friends for 15 years so he came to her doorstep for assistance, making a grunting noise and nervously banging on the door.
Bass was gasping for breath and trying to cough up the steak when Aranda answered the door.
He looked panicked and made a gesture with his hands pointing to his neck to show that he was choking.
“I had my hands like this,” he told FOX 10 Phoenix. “She opened the door immediately.”
Aranda asked him if he was choking before spinning Bass around to administer the Heimlich maneuver.
“Turn him around and just squeeze as hard as you can, and I didn’t know if it worked or not, and then my son is the one that said, ‘Oh it came out! It came out!”
A few pumps and Bass was able to breathe again.
“[She] is like an angel. Put the Heimlich on me and one or two thrusts, popped it out and I had breath,” Bass said. “I call her the ‘Latina Wonder Woman,’ she was so strong!”
But Aranda says it wasn’t as easy as she made it look. And she made it look super easy like she was a pro.
Aranda told her son to call 911, but Bass declined since he was able to breathe again.
“I could…not breathe,” Bass exclaimed when he could finally talk again.
“It was very hard to do. It’s the scariest thing. I work in the dental field, so I do take the CPR course. I’ve never ever used it on anybody,” Aranda added.
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Bass said the two had an emotional moment after they realized Bass was OK.
“I was shaken up, she was shaken up,” he told NBC Miami. “We just hugged each other, embraced and I said ‘you saved my life’.”
Bass, who is a middle school teacher, was very grateful that his friend there to help.
“Thank God above that she was home. She’s a hero, she saved my life, she’s a blessing,” said Bass.
Bass got Aranda a “thank you for saving my life present” of flowers and beer. The video was viewed on Fox 10 Phoenix’s Facebook page more than 633,000 times.
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“What an amazing neighbor, she didn’t hesitate at all to save this man’s life,” said one viewer.
“Oh thank goodness!! That was quick thinking and actions, God bless!” another said.
You can watch this amazing video for yourself in the viewer below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
Source: FOX 10 Phoenix, NBC Miami
