A young girl used the first aid skills she learned as a “badger” with St John Ambulance to save her younger brother’s life – because he was choking.
Quick-thinking Hollie Burr, eight, slapped her six-year-old brother Brody on the back after he started choking, putting into practice the life-saving skills she learned from the health charity.
Their mother Jo had previously warned Brody about teasing his older sister when he mimicked choking noises as “a joke”.
But after noticing that her brother’s face was changing colour, Hollie realised her brother wasn’t messing around this time and leaped into action.
Acting quickly she gave Brody a couple of hard slaps on the back, as she had been taught, and a piece of chicken that had been lodged in his throat flew out.
Hollie, from Tadworth, Surrey, joined St John Ambulance’s Epsom Badger Sett about a year and a half ago.
As a badger, children learn first aid, go camping, do team games and more, working towards a series of awards.
Jo said: “It happened in a split second and I’m so pleased Hollie knew what to do.
“Just a couple of weeks before, Brody had started to mimic choking noises as a bit of a joke. The day before this incident I had given him a telling off, warning him about the boy who cried wolf.”
Jo added that she heard Brody making the choking noises and immediately vowed to have words with him again, thinking he was doing it for his own amusement.
She said: “Hollie told me how she too thought Brody was just joking around again, but realised his face was changing colour.
“She gave him the back slaps as she had been taught at St John Ambulance and a piece of chicken covered in mucous shot out. I’m extremely proud.”
