Uncles are the best.

Last weekend we went with my family on vacation. We stayed in Eden and played at Pineview Reservoir. The first night, as people were arriving, we decided to have pizza for dinner. Ryan and Erika picked up Papa Murphy's. They cooked it up and we all started eating. I was in another room when Randy came to tell me that Christian had just been saved. I went a-running.

Mike was on his iPhone getting directions for Melanie and Doug (who were on the road.) I got the kids pizza and then went to talk to my dad in the front room. Christian sat up to the table and apparently took a bite with a lot of cheese in it and started choking on it. He got down from the table, and panicking, went to the kitchen where adults were. My brother Ryan saw him and immediately jumped into action. He gave him a few good thumps on the back, and when that didn't work gave him the Heimlich maneuver. He had to do it several times, but eventually the hunk of cheese came up.

My sister Camille, who is an RN, was there and saw that the food was pushed out. She told Christian to spit it out. He was crying and red-faced, but didn't want to spit it out--he just started chewing it and swallowed it again. He was scared and upset. I held him for a few minutes and talked to him about chewing really well and taking small bites. He blamed it on the cheese.

I asked Christian to sit with Ryan for a picture, so he can always remember that Ryan saved him. He then re-enacted the Heimlich scene for me.

Thanks Uncle Ryan. You are our hero!