GREENSBORO — When a mozzarella stick lodged in his throat, choking him, Salem Carey knew he needed someone’s help.
“What I didn’t expect was a fourth-grader who is my best friend,” the General Greene Elementary School student said.
Henry Glasgo wrapped his arms around Salem from behind and pushed his locked hands hard against Salem’s stomach, forcing air out of Salem’s lungs and dislodging the piece of food.
On Friday, the school held an indoor parade for Henry and Salem and presented them with gifts from community partners and area universities. What started out as terrifying for both of the fourth-graders has now also become tender and meaningful, and a cause for celebration for their families, their school, and even the larger community.
“It’s a very interesting feeling that you really can’t explain,” Salem said.
People are also reading…
How Henry knew to do the Heimlich maneuver is its own story.
Henry’s parents said they had talked to him a bit at one point about how to do it — emergency preparedness being sort of a thing in their family. But the unexpected lesson came just a couple weeks ago, when Henry started choking on some sushi he was eating, and his grandfather got in position to do the Heimlich maneuver, just as Henry managed to cough it up on his own.
So that moment was in the front of his brain on Wednesday of last week, when Henry saw Salem start choking and turning red during lunch in the cafeteria.
Henry said other kids were staring at Salem turning red without doing anything and most of the adults didn’t even know it was happening — with the exception of a substitute who ran for the science teacher. So Henry stepped in.
Salem didn’t know about the Heimlich maneuver, and so when Henry did it, that was another scary part, on top of how terrified he was already.
After Salem coughed up the food, Henry was even more rattled than Salem.
“I was scared for him,” Henry said. “I just didn’t know what to do for him after that.”
Though she hadn’t seen the incident, the rescue hit school principal Stephanie Harris emotionally, too.
“I went in my office and I had to take a deep breath,” she said.
In thinking about it, she realized that she wanted to celebrate both boys: Henry for the rescue of his friend, and Salem for his bravery to allow Henry to help him in that way, having no clue what Henry was specifically trying to do.
At the school on Friday, she held up a sign that said, “Not all heroes wear capes: Henry saved Salem’s Life: April 2023.”
Henry and Salem followed behind her, smiling at their classmates, who lined the school’s hallways waving pom-poms, cheering and giving them high-fives.
Henry really enjoyed the parade, while for Salem it was a positive, but also challenging, experience.
“I’m a little bit shy in front of a big crowd, I can do it, but it’s something I have to get through emotionally and it’s a bit hard,” he said, “I was just happy that we did it, because everybody could see what friendship means in this school, because friendship is a very big thing here.”
After the parade, the principal pulled the boys and their families into a small room, commended them and presented them with the gifts. Since she said both boys like sports, many of the gifts were sports-related, like balls to play with and tickets to sports events.
“My favorite part is the two App state football tickets,” said Henry, who hopes to be a professional football player someday.
After they noticed Salem’s older brother getting emotional during the gathering, the two boys pulled him into a teary three-way hug.
Madeleine Carey, Salem’s mother, said Henry and Salem have always been close.
“It’s just icing on the cake, knowing that his friend always has his back,” she said. “Even if it needs a little pat.”