Calgary First Aid: Quick-Thinking Eskasoni Man Saves Choking Boy in Grocery Store
A routine grocery stop for a Sydney mother nearly turned into a tragedy—until an Eskasoni man stepped in and saved her choking three-year-old son. The incident highlights not only the importance of remaining calm in an emergency, but also the life-changing power of proper first aid training.
(Original news story: SaltWire – Eskasoni man saves choking boy)
A Normal Grocery Trip Turns Terrifying
Kerri Manuel had just picked up her three-year-old son, Josh, from daycare and made a quick stop at the Sydney River Superstore for a few essentials. As many parents do, she handed her son a small packet of raisins to keep him occupied while they shopped.
Everything was normal—until it wasn’t.
“We had almost finished our grocery order and one got stuck in his throat,” Manuel recalled.
Although she had taken first aid training before, the shock of seeing her own child in distress caused her to freeze. Josh couldn’t speak. His eyes filled with tears. He pointed to his neck—a universal sign of choking.
“I asked Josh, ‘Can you talk?’ and he couldn’t. Then I said, ‘Does anyone here know CPR?’” Manuel said, holding back tears.
A Hero Appears — “Minus the Cape”
Sherman Cremo, a 25-year-old Eskasoni resident, heard the panic and immediately recognized the signs of choking. He saw Manuel patting her son’s back, desperately trying to get him to respond.
“I just saw her patting him on the back… and when I saw the boy point at his neck, I knew right then and there he was choking,” Cremo explained.
He acted without hesitation.
“I put him upside down and did the Heimlich manoeuvre. I did it three times until his breath came back… and out popped the raisin.”
Thanks to his swift and accurate response, Josh began breathing again.
Trained, Prepared, and Motivated to Help
Cremo is well-trained in CPR and first aid. He graduated from firefighting school, serves with his community’s fire department, and hopes to become a paramedic.
“I want to help people. I love helping people,” he said.
This wasn’t his first emergency. He recently attempted to save an elderly woman in cardiac arrest. Though she didn’t survive, he said his father and grandfather reminded him, “At least you tried.”
A Family Determined to Say Thank You
After the incident, Manuel wrote down the names of Cremo and his girlfriend, Rolanda Dennis, determined to thank them properly once she was calmer. Her husband, Chris MacDonald, searched through phone listings in the Eskasoni exchange until he found the right Cremo—leading to a heartfelt reunion at the same Superstore a few days later.
“I can’t thank you enough,” Manuel said through tears. “I’ll never be able to repay you. You’re amazing.”
She added that although she knows first aid, everything changes when it’s your child in danger.
“If it had been left to me I don’t know what would have happened. But this hero came around a corner—minus the cape—and just did the right thing.”
The Superstore also joined in expressing gratitude, matching the family’s thank-you gift of store gift cards.
Josh’s Full Recovery
Josh was later checked by a nurse—his grandmother—and found to be perfectly healthy despite the ordeal. Within hours, he was back to riding his bike around the house as if nothing had happened.
Manuel says he remembers the event vividly.
“We talk about you every night. He’ll never forget you,” she told Cremo.
A Powerful Reminder: First Aid Training Saves Lives
Kerri’s husband, who works at the Cape Breton Correctional Centre, noted he has used first aid and CPR many times on the job—sometimes with life-saving results. The family emphasized that more people should learn first aid because emergencies can happen anywhere, anytime.
The truth is simple: the more people trained in CPR and first aid, the safer our communities become.
If you want to feel confident and prepared, consider enrolling in a certified first aid course.
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Standard First Aid & CPR Training – a comprehensive, hands-on program covering choking emergencies, CPR, AED use, and essential first aid skills.
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