In an unbelievably scary situation, an 8-year-old Pennsylvania boy flies into action while on a car ride with his dad and little sister. The boy had the situation under control before his dad could even get the car pulled over.
Jaxson Dempsey was only 8-year-old when horror-struck. Riding in the car on the way to a haircut with his dad and his little sister Leila is when the 20-month-old toddler’s face began to turn bright purple and red. It was then the Heights Terrace Elementary School second-grader immediately feared his baby sister was about to die.
Leila had begun choking on a chicken nugget from McDonald’s. The toddler was unable to breathe and Jaxson knew time was running out. “It made me feel scared because I thought she was going to die,” Jaxson recalled. But fear did not paralyze him. Jaxson, instead, flew into action, saving his sister’s life with a technique he remembered from watching wrestler John Cena on a Nickelodeon.
“This thing came into my mind,” Jaxson told local CBS affiliate WYOU. He was referring to an episode of the Nickelodeon hidden camera prank show The Substitute,. It is a show where celebrities go undercover as substitute teachers. In the episode that Jaxson remembered during Leila’s horrifying ordeal, John Cena used a dummy named Chuck to teach a class of young students the basics of CPR and first aid.
Remembering John Cena’s action steps Jaxson flew into action. “I told my dad to pull over and I started to pat her back,” Jaxson said. As His dad became aware of the horror happening in the back seat, Jaxson leaned Leila forward and began to strike her on the back, between the shoulder blades, with the heel of his hand. After about 30 seconds, Jaxson ultimately dislodged the stuck chicken nugget before his dad was even able to pull the car over.
Matt Dempsey is a very proud dad and grateful for his son’s quick thinking. “Her face was bright purple and red, and she wasn’t really breathing. Jaxson sprung into action before I even opened the door,” Matt admitted, according to Daily Mail. “I couldn’t believe it. I mean, he’s always been a really good big brother, but I never knew he would know what to do with that,” the thankful dad added.
Matt remembers Leila remaining unusually calm throughout the ordeal, which only proves the level of distress she was in,. The tiny toddler was unable to cry for help due to her airway being obstructed. “I couldn’t hear her,” Matt recalled. “She wasn’t coughing, she wasn’t panicking,” he added, according to WNEP. “She just had no air going through. She wasn’t breathing. Thank God Jaxson was there because, without him, I don’t know if Leila would be here.”
The proud dad isn’t the only one celebrating his son’s heroics and hailing the 8-year-old as a hero. “Everyone at Nickelodeon is so proud of Jaxson and his heroic actions,” Nickelodeon spokesman David Bittler said in a statement to People. “We are honored to be a part of such a remarkable story of good news and courage! Yay for Jaxson and Leila!!!”
Although Jaxson said he feels “like a hero so much in his heart,” he quickly shared the praise with John Cena. The humble hero gave a heartfelt thanks to the wrestler. “I would say thank you for being on that show,” the heroic 8-year-old said, adding that he believes all children should learn CPR and first aid in case they find themselves in a similar situation. “It taught me a lot about how to save someone’s life.”
