Alberta wildfire evacuee thanks man who saved him when he was choking on water
A man from Drayton Valley, Alta. is publicly thanking a swimming instructor who helped him when he was choking on water at a hotel pool.
“I couldn’t breathe. So then I went to the edge and tried to bring myself out,” Cody Blackmore told CTV News Edmonton.
He and his family were evacuated from his hometown in May because of an out-of-control wildfire.
They wanted a fun evening so they booked themselves a room at the Sandman Hotel in Edmonton on the 14th. That's when his girls encouraged him to go down the water slide
"I probably shouldn’t have. I rocket myself down, so I started going down too fast. And then as soon as I hit the water, it goes in my nose," he explained.
"And it forced me to open my mouth underwater. Probably wasn't the best idea."
That's when panic set in.
"I hop out, I'm trying to make myself, like, gag or get the water out. It wasn't working…and then I look over and I see a bunch of red shirts and to me that was lifeguards," Blackmore said.
Swim instructor Ethan Lenz was in the middle of a swimming lesson when he noticed Blackmore.
"I turned around and I saw Cody just as he was hopping out of the water," Lenz recalled.
"At that point, I saw him put his hands to his throat, a national sign for choking. Didn't really see anyone doing anything at that point and so I figured I got to step into action here."
"Superman here, he jumps out of the pool, like, launched and as soon as he seen me, he knew. He grabbed me, gave me the Heimlich [manoeuvre] a good few pumps there and then out the water came," Blackmore said.
Lenz has only been a swim instructor for about eight months but his boss says she was not surprised to hear of his heroic efforts.
"We've had a lot of great testimonies and feedback from these parents so this one was just like, how much better does this get? Like this was just amazing. It was just so moving," said Judith Mbeleke, the owner of British Swim School East.
Experts say if you're choking on water, try to cough it up.
If you're helping someone who is choking, strike them on the back to try to clear their airway and then call 911.
As for Lenz and Blackmore, they plan on going for a drink and keeping up with one another.
"I don't know what would've happened if there wasn't anyone there so just very, very happy," Lenz said.
"It's cliché but not all heroes wear capes. He was wearing red that day," Blackmore said.
The evacuation order in Drayton Valley was lifted on May 16.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.