GREEN, Ohio — A 13-year-old Summit County student is being called a hero for possibly saving his friend's life in the middle school cafeteria earlier this month.
Gavin Bailey, an 8th grader at Green Middle School, performed the Heimlich maneuver on a classmate choking on a strawberry during lunch on Sept. 10. Gavin said he learned the technique by watching a video on YouTube—never expecting he would actually need to use it.
While eating lunch, Gavin noticed his friend across the table struggling, his eyes turning bloodshot.
"And then I asked him, 'Are you choking? Shake yes or no.' And, he shakes yes, so I just tell him to turn around," Gavin said.
Gavin jumped up from his seat and performed the Heimlich maneuver once. His friend spit up the strawberry he had been choking on.
"At the situation, everything just kind of hits you at once, and just somehow I just kind of remained kind of calm," Gavin said.
When asked what gave him the courage to act, Gavin said he simply reacted.
"I have no idea. I kind of just thought. My brain said do something," Gavin said.
Gavin said the experience reinforced how important it is to know basic emergency skills.
"My friend could have got really hurt or went to ER or more intensive care. It's pretty important to know things like this. You never expect the situation to come up," Gavin said.
Evan Elliott, the principal of Green Middle School, said Gavin's composure in a stressful situation was remarkable.
"It's not very typical for middle schoolers to be aware of their surroundings, and you know, it's kind of a chaotic environment when you got 300 8th graders in this cafeteria at the same time," the principal said.
Green Fire Chief Jeff Funai said Gavin's actions demonstrate why everyone should learn emergency first aid skills like CPR and the Heimlich maneuver.
"He just shows you that ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they know what to do and they're willing to step up and help," Funai said.
Funai also described the proper technique for performing the Heimlich maneuver.
"You want to make a fist. You cover it with your other hand. Now, you're reaching around the person, underneath their ribs, and you want to squeeze up and in," Funai said.
As for Gavin, he embraced the hero label and added, "I think everybody would feel the same way."
When told he may have saved a life, Gavin had a simple response.
"I hope I did," Gavin said.
