Safe Sitter Hero story_Nicholas Demers

Left to right: William Demers; Jason Demers; Nicholas Demers; Safe Sitter® Instructor Megan Murray

This Safe Sitter® Hero Is The Ultimate Big Brother

It’s the unofficial job of a big brother to look out for his younger siblings. Nicholas Demers not only looked out for his younger brother, he saved his life. And he did it using rescue skills he’d learned in Safe Sitter® years prior.

In 2014, Nicholas took a Safe Sitter® class at Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center in Ogdensburg, New York. His father, Jason Demers, a pharmacist, had started working at the hospital and, although neither had heard of Safe Sitter®, Nicholas took the course because he was interested in babysitting.

Just recently, Nicholas was out eating lunch with his younger brother, William, and other family and friends, when William began to choke on food. Initially, William was able to move air but that quickly worsened to a point where he was moving little to no air at all. Fortunately, Nicholas recognized what was happening and he knew what needed to be done.

Although Nicholas said he was a bit scared, he remembered from his Safe Sitter® training to stay calm and administer abdominal thrusts. A pre-med student was sitting nearby and came over to assist toward the end. However, Nicholas was the one who performed the actual choking rescue on his brother.

Jason wasn’t there to witness his older son’s heroic actions but he’s grateful he stayed calm and knew what to do. “I’m just extremely proud and glad he was there and could handle the situation,” Jason said. William even plans on following in his hero big brother’s footsteps and is excited about taking a Safe Sitter® class.

According to Jason, Nicholas babysits often for family, friends, and neighbors, and is popular with younger kids. “If you want to become a babysitter, I think it’s important to take this [Safe Sitter®] course. And if you have younger brothers or sisters, you should know what to do,” said Nicholas, who most enjoyed learning the Heimlich Maneuver because he likes learning about safety.

It’s no surprise then that Nicholas’s future plans include studying medicine to become a physician. “He wants to one-up me,” said Jason, jokingly.

Help your child be a hero! Find a Safe Sitter® class near you.