Thursday, July 21 started out as a normal day for Steve Donovan, 9, and Grant Laarkamp, 8, of Shamong at the “Gold and Goal Soccer Camp” held at Seneca High School. However, the day took a turn when Steve started to choke on a piece of pizza during the camp’s pizza party.
Grant, in a life-saving gesture, gave Steve the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge the food from his blocked airway. Grant is now seen as a hero in the eyes of Steve and his family. Steve’s mother Jen hopes people see that not only a young child can be a hero, but also as a message to teach children life-saving procedures no matter the age.
According to the boys, they were both talking and laughing when pizza became stuck in Steve’s throat. Steve said he put his hand on his throat. Grant saw him and immediately performed the life-saving procedure.
“I was a little scared, but I remained calm,” Steve said.
“I saw that he was choking on pizza. I just thought that I should do something so I did (the Heimlich maneuver),” Grant said.
It happened so fast and the boys went back to eating right away like nothing happened. The cafeteria was very crowded and though Steve’s trainer was at the table in front of him handing out pizza, Grant jumped into action before any adults were notified, so Jen finds no fault in the adults.
Steve and Grant did not tell their parents of what had occurred that day until much later. Grant’s father, Ted, said his children were telling him how his sister won an award at the camp and that Grant saved someone’s life, but no other details so he thought nothing of it. Jen was told the story while driving home around dinnertime and couldn’t believe what she heard.
“He was talking to his brother and very nonchalantly said that he choked on pizza. I raised my eyebrow and asked him for more details. He said he couldn’t breathe, and my stomach dropped. I asked him why he didn’t tell me. He was unaware of the severity of the situation,” Jen said. “After I got home, I couldn’t stop hugging him.”
Wanting to find Grant’s family, as she knew of him, but not his last name nor his parents, Jen reached out through a social media post to a Shamong group, thanking Grant and his parents for saving the life of her son, calling him a “hero.” The post received more than 200 likes and 40 comments. It was then that Ted got a text from a friend alerting him to the post and what his son had done.
“I posted on Facebook to get the awareness out there and to find Grant’s family. I wanted to thank them so much,” Jen said. “He is a hero. He is amazing.”
“(When I heard about what Grant did) I was very surprised and so proud,” Ted said.
According to Grant, he learned the Heimlich from his dad. However, Ted said he only brought him to a basic life saving class when he was around 4 or 5, and maybe the combination of that and television or school helped him to remember how to do it. Both boys said they did not learn the Heimlich maneuver in school so far.
Jen felt the boys were possibly desensitized from movies and television shows of the severity of choking and explained to her son the situation and that an adult should have been told. She hopes this is seen as a message to adults that children should learn basic lifesaving skills at any age.
“I hope that Shamong puts it in the school system at the elementary schools. Like Grant shows, you never know when you’ll need it,” Jen said.
“It is important to learn the basics, like knowing a (family member’s) phone number and address, who to call in an emergency and recognizing people in distress,” Ted said.
From this situation, the boys are now closer than ever. They considered themselves friends before, but this has tightened their bond.
“I had the honor of getting to meet Grant and his father yesterday, and they are absolutely amazing people. Grant has the biggest heart and warmest smile. He brings so much joy to Steve’s life … we couldn’t be more blessed. This entire experience, starting out as a nightmare, has turned into a blessing,” Jen said.
Jen has reached out to the township to see if they could give Grant an award for his good deed. According to Shamong Township Administrator Sue Onorato, Grant will be recognized though an exact date has not been finalized.
