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(86,008 posts) Mon Jul 28, 2014, 03:13 PM Jul 2014

Dem Candidate Saves Child's Life: "I'm not a doctor. I'm just a dad."

Last edited Mon Jul 28, 2014, 04:56 PM - Edit history (1)

Pete Gallego Saves Choking Child During Flight Home

Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Texas, jumped into action during a flight home to Texas on Friday night to help a young boy next to him who was choking on a chicken nugget.

“I had my headphones on and was listening to some news articles,” Gallego told CQ Roll Call during a phone interview Monday, when he heard a commotion next to him.

Beside the freshman congressman was a three-year old boy and the boy’s mother, who was also holding a baby. The woman stood up and started shouting, “Oh my God, my son is choking! He’s choking!”

“I turned around quickly and I had to unbuckle his seat belt,” said Gallego. He then put one hand on the child’s back and one on the child’s sternum, and gently pushed forward. “As I did that he turned around to look at me and I ended up with chicken nuggets on my chest,” but the child was alright.

The people across the aisle gave Gallego some towelettes, and the man next to him asked if he was a doctor. Gallego said, “I laughed and said ‘No, I’m not a doctor. I’m just a dad.’”

“I was just glad to be able to be of help,” said Gallego. “Like I say, it’s every parent’s worst nightmare that something like that happens.”

read: http://hoh.rollcall.com/pete-gallego-saves-choking-child-during-flight-home/

Gallego said he put one hand on the kid’s back, and the other on his sternum. “I knew what was going to happen, so I aimed him forward,” he said. But at the critical moment, the kid turned to look at the congressman. “I ended up with chicken nuggets on my chest.”

Also on his suit and tie. But other passengers helped clean up, and in the ensuring conversation Gallego discovered that he was an old acquaintance of the woman’s husband, who wasn’t on the flight.

“It was one of those small world stories,” Gallego said.

All’s well that ends well, though, Gallego recounted, “I didn’t smell very good when I got off the plane.”

Twitter feeds also showed interest from NBC News, which wouldn’t be such a bad thing for a first-term Democrat embroiled in a potentially competitive challenge from GOP candidate Will Hurd.

read: http://blog.chron.com/txpotomac/2014/07/u-s-rep-pete-gallego-saves-choking-child-on-airplane/

The grateful mom’s rendition came out on twitter the next morning: