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Texas 6th Graders Become Friends After One Saves the Other From Choking: 'He Knew What to Do'

A pair of sixth graders from Texas have formed a special bond after one of the boys saved the other from choking by using the Heimlich maneuver.

Arad Arbasi and James Dawson, of Plano, told CBS station KTVT that they were eating lunch at ​​Robinson Middle School in November when James swallowed a plastic wrapper attached to the bottom of his food.

"It felt sharp in my throat. Very sharp. And it was just hurting," James told the outlet, adding, "I was like, 'Oh shoot, I'm gonna die. I'm gonna choke on this.' "

That's when Arad jumped into action.

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"He has his face completely purple. And he's doing this," the 11-year-old told KTVT while clutching his throat in demonstration.

"So I run behind him and I start doing the Heimlich maneuver," he added, "and I eventually I hear him yell, 'It's out! It's out!'"

"He knew what to do and I'm glad he knew what to do," James said, "otherwise I probably wouldn't be talking."

Plano 6th Grader Says Classmate Used Heimlich Maneuver To Save Him From Choking
Plano 6th Grader Says Classmate Used Heimlich Maneuver To Save Him From Choking

CBSDFW/Youtube

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After learning of the incident, James' mother Frances Salinas said she was eager to find the person who saved her son's life: "I'm like, 'Who is this kid? Who? Who did it? Do I know him?'" she told the station.

Salinas shared her son's story on the Plano Moms Talk Facebook page in hopes of finding the child.

"If your son goes to Robinson, is in 6th grade, and his name starts with an 'A'. He is a hero. Your son saved my son's life today and performed the Heimlich maneuver while he choked at lunch," she wrote, per KTVT.

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It wasn't long before she received a response from Arad's mother, Mahnoosh Emami. "Hello, I'm A's mom and I'm grateful that your son is ok," she replied.

Arad told KTVT that he learned the Heimlich maneuver years ago from a book, and recently saw a video about it as well. His father Kiumar Arbasi said he didn't know that his son knew how to do it properly.

"I found out he knew Heimlich and that was very surprising," Kiumar told the outlet. "Now I'm practicing though for sure!"

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Now both the boys and their parents are friends — the adults even went out to dinner — after James and Arad spent years as classmates.

"The whole choking situation, you know, made our friendship quite better," Arad told KTVT.