A North Texas second-grader who learned how perform the Heimlich maneuver at school saved his two-year-old sister's life.
His mother, Leslie Wandel, schedules school visits for paramedics who work for American Medical Response. She arranged for a demonstration at her son's school.
The paramedics take an ambulance to the schools and show students how to handle emergencies, including choking hazards.
Little did she know it would later save her daughter's life.
"It's just amazing how God works, putting it all into place," Wandel said.
Eight-year-old Eli sprang into action when he saw his sister, Eliana, begin to choke on Goldfish crackers.
"My sister put a bunch in her mouth," he said. "I heard her coughing. I grabbed her right here (motions toward her abdomen). I told her, 'Calm down.'"
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Then he performed three compressions, and the cracker that was blocking her airway flew out.
Wandel said her son is very fond of his little sister -- and is a protective big brother.
"She loves him, and he adores her," she said.
The children's father had barely heard Eliana start to cough when his son began his life-saving technique.
"He walked in from the laundry room and found Eli doing the Heimlich maneuver on her," Wandel said. "Just as he walked in the room, she coughed up the Goldfish."
Now Eli will always be a hero to his little sister.
"I just feel happy for her to still be safe," he said. "And whenever I was done, she just went into the bedroom and played like it never happened."
