When this fifth grader saw a girl act strangely at lunch, he knew he had seconds to act

Benjamin Ford was minding his own business during a school lunch break when he noticed a girl behaving particularly strangely. She was struggling to inhale slowly changing colors, an unsettling sight that seemed to indicate she was in real trouble. But Ford didn’t just have to sit and watch his fellow student. Instead, he took action. As of February 2018, Ford was a fifth grader at Greenwood Elementary School in Henrico County, Virginia, and as far as we know, the boy had been attending school day-to-day that year without major incident. This month, however, everything changed. One afternoon, Ford enjoyed a break during his lunch break.

But then something in the school cafeteria caught his attention, and the student knew immediately his help was needed. Specifically, Ford had noticed that one of his classmates was in mortal danger. And while describing what went through his mind when he made that realization, the youngster admitted he was panicking in a February 2018 interview with WTVR. Ford actually said I wasn’t really calm. My heart was really racing. I just knew that I had to help her. Then, while the student watched, the girl’s condition continued to deteriorate.

After a moment she gasped. Her face had also begun to change color. When time was of the essence, Ford rushed to the aid of his classmates. In fact, it seemed like a wasted minute could have made the difference between life and death. I felt like I had to hurry to get to her, Ford explained. I thought maybe she wouldn’t make it in a few seconds. And despite his nervousness, the boy recalled a documentary he had seen with his mother a few years earlier. He’d picked up an important first-aid tip from the show that would prove invaluable at that moment.

Therefore, even though the girl was in dire straits, Ford knew exactly what to do to help. In particular, he chose one of the popular methods to treat someone choking from abdominal thrusts or the Heimlich maneuver. And once Ford got rid of what had been troubling the girl, crowds in the cafeteria watched the drama unfold. Then, when the danger was over, they gave Ford a heroic round of applause. I got a lot of claps and I had a lot of punches, he revealed to WTVR.

After the incident, Ford also received a big thank you and a hug from the friend he rescued. However, the youngster remained modest when it came to his feet. He would later even tell reporters that if it was ever necessary, he would do it all over again. Then, as word of Ford’s good deed spread, he found himself the center of attention around his school. And it seemed that many of his classmates were rightly impressed by his quick learner.

They really supported me as I walked down the hall, Ford said. And it wasn’t just his classmates who were proud of Ford. For example, when his parents found out about his deeds, they were overjoyed. Plus, they were glad their son remembered something he learned from the documentary. Remembering the moment her son told her he saved someone’s life, Ford’s mom revealed to WTVR we thought he was playing a video game or whatever, but he said no. I was like, really? Whose life did you save? Continuing with her recollection, a delighted mother explained that the admission of her son left her devastated. She continued, he told us the story and we were really proud of him.

You know, we were just shocked. And I thought that’s great. Then word of Ford’s life-saving actions finally reached WTVR. The broadcaster then decided to give the student credit for his quick thinking, covering the story on its website and sharing it on social media. And when a video documenting Ford’s good deed surfaced on a WTVR Facebook page, it didn’t take long for the word to spread. In fact, within a few weeks of the clip’s release, it had racked up as many as 280 views and 10 reactions.

Additionally, Ford’s heartwarming story attracted dozens of encouraging comments from social media users. You really are a hero. Reduced remark what an articulate, caring, handsome young man you are. you should be so proud Meanwhile, another person commented that saving a life is one thing no one will ever forget. Not only are you a hero, but the young lady you rescued will tell the story until the end of time. Godd bless you. And given Ford’s accomplishments, his parents saw fit to reward him. After all, the boy was her little hero for her. So they picked him up from school the day after the choking incident and took him to celebrate.

Ford’s parents then drove him to a nearby store where he was allowed to choose a video game. They then went to see another superhero in action at the screening of a Marvel’s Black Panther film. And while the title character of this film saves lives too, Ford had made it even better by actually doing it.