When Tabitha Parker posted a photo on social media at the end of 2021, she hoped, as she wrote that 2022 would start off in a relaxing way. Little did she know that her family would be on the news soon and that her daughter would become the new hero of the family.
“It’s been a very busy chaotic few weeks. Hoping for a slow relaxing start to the new year,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
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Only a few weeks before the new year, Parker’s 6-year-old son was choking on a piece of bacon and, luckily, she was there to save him. The woman, who works as a Manatee County paramedic, performed the Heimlich maneuver on her child and she saved his life.
This is when she realized that her children should know what to do in an emergency like this. So, she decided to teach her 8-year-old daughter the Heimlich maneuver in case someone else around them choked on their food in the future.
Indeed, only a few weeks passed, and the time came when young Peyton’s new skill came in handy. In fact, it saved her stepfather’s life.
Only a few days into 2022, Parker’s boyfriend, Michael Langston, was at home with the two children, eating a burger and playing video games.
At some point, he started choking on his food, and he tried to save himself- in vain.
As the living room surveillance camera shows, the man took a bite of his sandwich and, instantly, started choking. He tried to cough and get the bite out of his mouth through some sips of soda, but nothing seemed to work.
When the man realized that he couldn’t breathe, he ran to the kitchen to ask the kids for help.
“I realized that as soon as I took the drink, it spit back out and… I start freaking out for a second. I tried it again. I did it again, and at that moment I realized I couldn’t breathe,” Langston told Fox 13 News.
In the kitchen, he found 6-year-old Keegan, who immediately understood what was going on and rushed to his sister who was supposed to know how to save the choking man.
“He was patting his chest, so I realized he was choking,” Keegan recalled.
As you can see in the video, the boy ran to his sister’s bedroom, and then Langston followed only moments later.
The little girl knew exactly what she was supposed to do to save her stepdad. And she performed the Heimlich maneuver perfectly. After two abdominal thrusts, the man managed to spit out the bite that had gone down his windpipe.
“I just jumped up and started doing it,” Peyton said.
When the children’s mom got home and was told of the incident, she took her daughter out for ice cream. She was totally worth it- the hero of the family.
“As soon as I got home from work, we immediately went to get ice cream because that’s something in order for,” Parker said with a smile. “But I don’t think she truly understood the gravity of what she had did.”
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As Langston said, he couldn’t be more proud of his step-daughter. He is more than grateful to her because thanks to her keeping calm and doing what she needed to, he is alive today.
What an amazing story and a reminder that children should be taught first aid as early as possible.
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Watch the video below to see how fast the whole thing unfolded.
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