An appreciative father reached out to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office this past weekend to report that his son saved his life.
On Sunday, May 28, shortly before 8:50 a.m., Alphonso Rex, Sr. told the sheriff’s office that he had been eating food when he began to choke. He advised that he got up from a couch and attempted to go upstairs to get help, but he was unable to climb the stairs.
Alphonso told ACSO that he started banging on the wall to get attention. Moments later, his son – Alphonso “AJ” Rex, Jr. – rushed down the stairs and recognized that he was choking. AJ sprang into action and began performing the Heimlich Maneuver.
AJ quickly dislodged the food, and Alphonso advised that he was able to breathe again. He told ACSO that AJ stayed by his side for the rest of the day and into the evening to make sure that he “remained well.”
In a social media post, ACSO stated that two deputies visited Alphonso and AJ’s home to “meet with this hero.” AJ told the deputies that he recognized that his dad was choking, and he immediately began performing the “back maneuver.”
The deputies asked AJ how he knew to perform the maneuver, and he stated that he saw it on a TV show.
“Sheriff Watson commends AJ for “jumping into action” and is thankful that our Deputies responded to his home to recognize him for the hero that he is!” stated the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office on its Facebook page. “Great Work AJ!”