CINCINNATI — It was perfect timing for Camerin Scott.
The 12-year-old boy from College Hill is a hero after saving another child at a pool using the Heimlich Maneuver his mother taught him four days earlier.
Camerin was at the Hartwell Recreation Center on a field trip where he put his new skills to the test.
"It was like a regular Thursday - going to the swimming pool, have fun," Camerin said.
But it didn't take long for Camerin to notice something unusual.
"He looked really panicked and scared," Camerin said.
Another boy, about his age, was choking.
"I was like near him and I swam to the nearest wall, got up, picked him up, then just did it," Camerin said.
His mom, Ebony Holloway, is proud that her 12-year-old remembered a lesson she taught him four days earlier.
"I'm proud that he actually listened to me,” she laughed. “I'm excited that he took on what he learned in such a short period of time."
Camerin’s mom is a registered nurse at UC Medical who decided to turn a practical joke into a teachable moment.
"One day I was actually in the kitchen cooking and Camerin came into the kitchen pretending he was choking, clowning around,” she said.
“I said, 'No, if you see somebody choking for real, this is what you need to do,’ and then I went into teaching him the Heimlich Maneuver."
WATCH: How to do the Heimlich Maneuver.
So when Camerin saw that boy at the pool in distress, he was able to save him.
"He was like, 'Thank you. Thank you. I don't know how I can repay you. You saved me,' " said Camerin.
Camerin’s mom said he was thrilled.
"He comes home like 'Mom. Mom. I did the thing that you taught me. I did the thing that you taught me.’ "
"It actually happened and I felt like really proud of myself because I saved someone's life," Camerin said.
Camerin said he would like to meet the child he saved. The boy was not a part of his field trip, just a total stranger he's happy he was able to help.
The inventor of the Heimlich Maneuver, Dr. Henry Heimlich, spent much of his life in the Tri-State. He died in Cincinnati in 2016 at the age of 96.
