Billy Carberry, an eighth-grader at Our Lady of Calvary, recently saved a pre-kindergarten student who was choking on a snack.
During lunchtime, on Oct. 23, Billy, 13, noticed a boy named Christopher waving his hands in distress and his face turning red. Sensing the boy was choking, he performed the Heimlich maneuver, and a piece of fruit leather dislodged, enabling the boy to breathe again.
Billy learned the lifesaving technique when he worked as a junior lifeguard in Wildwood. Wildwood Beach Patrol recognized his heroic actions by stopping by Our Lady of Calvary to present him with an award.
Billy, who surfs and plays football, lacrosse and baseball, said he acted because, “I didn’t want Christopher to be scared.”
Billy lives in Wildwood in the summer and has worked as a junior lifeguard for several years.
“I learned a lot about safety and how to help others,” he said.
Wildwood Beach Patrol Capt. Ed Schneider said, “A great deal of credit goes to Junior Lifeguard Instructor Jack Rauchut and his team for teaching junior lifeguards how to recognize dangerous situations. Billy is a kid who paid attention and prevented a critical incident.” ••
