St John champion: Uncle leaps into action to help choking niece

A Melbourne teenager has been hailed a hero after using first aid taught to him by his sister to save the life of his baby niece. But it almost didn’t turn out that way.

Tai with his niece Ruby.

When Melbourne teenager Tai's older sister Ayla showed him how to save the life of someone choking, he thought it was a skill he would probably never have to use.

But just weeks after the nursing student showed Tai, 17, late last year how to do back blows and abdominal thrusts, he was forced to perform the lifesaving steps on Ayla’s nine-month-old daughter Ruby.

“One morning Ruby was eating blueberries and I heard a lot of commotion coming from my mum and Ruby’s dad,” Tai said.

“They were freaking out and I walked into the room and Ruby was blue.

“Ayla was out and they didn’t know what to do.”

Tai said the “horrible situation” ended when he dislodged the blueberry from Ruby’s airway after a third back blow.

Last week Tai was named a St John Ambulance Victoria Youth First Aid Champion (under 18) for saving the life of his niece.

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Tai said while he was not a “very emotional person” he was “pretty proud” of the recognition.

“I know everyone in my family is very happy about it,” he said.

While he intended to continue working as a welder, rather than entering the medical profession, saving Ruby’s life had inspired him to encourage others to learn first aid.

“It’s definitely good to know,” he said.

Ruby was happy, healthy and still enjoyed the occasional blueberry, Tai said.