Fifth grader saves choking friend in cafeteria

MILTON, VT (KTRK) -- A 10-year-old boy is being hailed as a hero after saving his friend's life when he began to choke in their school cafeteria.

Earlier this month, Mi'Sean Graham and Liam Ryan walked into Milton Elementary School in Milton, Vermont and sat together at lunch.

Suddenly, Liam started choking on a grape.

"I put it in the side of my cheek, took a sip of milk and the milk carried it down," Liam told WCAX-TV. "I was just really scared."

Without skipping a beat, Mi'Sean sprang into action.

"I was tingly and I jumped over about two people and I did the Heimlich," Mi'Sean recalls.

Liam was okay. Mi'sean had dislodged the grape, having no first aid training or practice -- just instincts that saved his friend's life.

"I feel grateful that my friend was still alive," said Mi'Sean.

When the phone call came, Liam's dad, Chris, was overcome with emotion.

"I think I burst out into tears," Chris Ryan remembers.

First responders presented Mi'Sean a lifesaving award, surely enough to make any mom proud.

"The love that I give him -- he's sharing," said his mom, Jessica Brown.

The humble fifth grader is now heaped in praise from a family left trying to figure out how you can possibly thank someone enough for saving your son's life.

"Thank you. Thank you so much. He has my eternal respect and gratitude for what he did," said Chris.