A LeRoy Scout from pack 6023 was recognized for saving his brother’s life after he started choking on an egg on the morning of April 28th.
11 year old Steven Sanders and his 3 year old brother Troy were watching cartoons and chilling out on a Saturday morning when Troy decided to eat a whole egg. He began to choke.
Emily Sanders and her husband were talking when they heard coughing.
“I knew that cough was the one to catch your attention,” says Emily. “I turned around in a matter of seconds, boom, Steven had already taken care of the situation and pounded Troy in the middle of his back.”
All the egg then came out onto the floor and Steven then went on playing like nothing happened.
When asked what made him react like that when his mom and dad were right there in the room?
“I don’t know,” he says.
“Maybe instincts? I’ve seen my Mom do it a couple of times.”
Steven says he was really not thinking about his actions much during the incident.
“I was just thinking about what to play with Troy until the 3rd pound on his back.”
Troy said ouch and didn’t really flinch after the ordeal.
Emily says that she has had to stop Troy from choking several times in his short 3 years.
“Most adults would freeze up in a situation like this and most kids would just scream and yell for mommy and daddy, but Steven didn’t, that is why it is so important that this story keep being told to encourage children and adults that stuff like this is extremely important and you need to know how to react to this. Even getting an EMT to respond will take moments.”
“It didn’t really click with him what he really did.”
Emily, who is trained to deal with people who are choking as an Assistant Cub Pack Master, says that 3 year old’s are too small to do the Heimlich maneuver. It really has to do with the size of the child. She says she is extremely proud of her son’s response.
“I am very emotional with this, its so surreal as a mom and as a pack leader. As a Mom, I see he is destined for great things. As a leader he is definitely going to do big things in scouting and in a career. He wants to be a vet and a marine biologist, with no doubt in my mind this child is going to do it. He can handle emergency situations.”
Emily says maybe he will be a future EMT, maybe he is future firefighter or police officer, he also has an interest in becoming a K-9 Officer.
Steven has been involved in scouting for 2 years.
The local scouting district has made an application for him to get into the National Scouting Magazine and for him to be recognized at the National level in scouting.
Steven was recognized at the District Round table meeting in Elba on Thursday night.
“Getting recognized by our own district is amazing,” says Emily.
“Children are our future and they need to be encouraged and rewarded not always harped on.”
Link to video of story being told by Jess Mercell