10-Year-Old Boy Saves Sister From Choking Thanks to First Aid Training Learned in School
A routine ride home from school turned into a life-threatening emergency for a Nova Scotia family — but thanks to a 10-year-old boy’s quick thinking and impressive memory, the outcome was miraculous.
Garrett Williams, from Sutherland’s River, N.S., acted immediately when his six-year-old sister Shanna began choking on a Lifesaver candy. The life-saving skills he learned two years earlier in a school first aid program helped him perform the Heimlich manoeuvre correctly and save her life.
A Terrifying Moment Inside the Car
The incident unfolded on March 23 while the siblings were riding home with their grandparents. According to their mother, Carla Williams, Shanna had been sucking on a hard candy while talking — a combination that quickly turned dangerous.
“She started to choke, coughing and trying to get it up,” Carla told Global News. When the car finally stopped, Shanna’s lips had already started turning blue.
Her grandfather tried to dislodge the candy by pounding on her chest, but nothing worked.
“It wasn’t coming out… It wasn’t gonna work,” Garrett recalled.
Drawing on Skills He Learned in Grade 3
Realizing the situation was urgent, Garrett stepped in. He positioned himself behind his sister and performed proper abdominal thrusts (the Heimlich manoeuvre) — exactly as he had been taught at Frank H. Macdonald Elementary School.
Seconds later, the candy was expelled, and Shanna could breathe again.
Glenna Oldford, a St. John Ambulance instructor who taught Garrett, was amazed:
“To think this was a life-saving situation and he learned it two years ago… It’s absolutely amazing.”
The program Garrett took, We Can Help, is a five-hour entry-level course designed to teach children how to respond in emergencies.
Why First Aid Training Matters — Especially for Children
Choking and suffocation are responsible for dozens of deaths and hundreds of hospitalizations each year in Canada. Many victims are young children.
Despite these risks, first aid training is still optional in many Canadian schools, leaving many families unprepared for emergencies like Shanna’s.
Stories like Garrett’s highlight how essential these skills are. Even a short course can empower children and adults to act quickly and confidently.
If you want to learn these life-saving skills yourself, consider taking a certified class such as a Standard First Aid Course, which covers choking response, CPR, and emergency techniques:
https://firstaidcalgary.ca/standard-first-aid-courses/
Shanna recovered fully, and the family now has a strict ban on hard candies like Lifesavers.
Read the Original Full Story
To read the full Global News article that inspired this post, click here: 10-year-old N.S. boy comes to sister’s rescue after learning First Aid at school
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