5th Grader Saves Choking Classmate Thanks To Lesson He Learned On TV

Benjamin Ford’s quick thinking may have saved the young girl’s life

A fifth grade boy is being hailed as a hero for his quick thinking as he took action to save a fellow classmate from choking — all thanks to a technique he learned from a documentary he once watched with his mom.

As the young girl began gasping for breath and the pallor of her face began to change colors, Benjamin Ford rushed to her aid and saved her life.

“I felt like I had to hurry up and get to her, and I really wasn’t thinking,” he told WTVR CBS 6 News. “I was just going over there to help her. Because I thought in a couple more seconds … she might not make it.”

Benjamin, a fifth grade student at Greenwood Elementary in Virginia and sharp blazer connoisseur, said he remembered the life-saving moves he learned from watching the documentary a few years ago.

His school is pulling out all the stops to give him the hero treatment he deserves, too. They announced his courageous act to the entire school. The girl’s parents also made sure to offer their thanks and give Benjamin a big hug.

His own parents are, as any parent would be, super proud of how bravely and quickly he responded. Though at first they admit they assumed he meant he “saved a life” while playing a video game, not “saved a life” like…an actual person’s life. (Which, honestly, is so very relatable.)

“Then we found out it was a real person we were shocked….it was awesome,” his mom said. His mom and dad let him pick out a new video game and took him to see Black Panther at the movie theater as a reward.

Kids are truly remarkable sometimes. Benjamin didn’t hesitate to rush to the young girl and offer his life-saving assistance — which was undoubtedly a scary experience for both of them. Also? He remembered how to save someone from choking years after watching a documentary about it — which proves maybe sometimes kids really do listen after all.

So how did his friends and fellow classmates react to their newfound hero? “I got a lot of claps and I had a lot of fist bumps and they were really supportive when I walked down the hall.”