A viral TikTok video shows the incredible moment a nurse sprang into action when she saw a young boy choking at a Georgia restaurant.
In a nearly 40-second clip, Charis Putmon, 35, is seen running in as the boy’s mother screams for help, causing the child to perform the Heimlich maneuver as others watch.
Seconds later, the boy finally speaks after the object in his throat is dislodged by the nurse, prompting his crying mother to immediately hug Putmon.
“I looked her in the eye and said I’m a mother of five, I understand,” Putmon said WSB TV.
Putmon posted the restaurant video to TikTok on September 10 and has since received 2 million likes, 12 million views and thousands of comments.
‘Thank you beautiful for saving that boy! You are 👼 at the right time, in the right place,” wrote one TikTok user whose comment received thousands of likes.
A viral TikTok video shows the incredible moment a nurse sprang into action when she saw a young boy choking at a Georgia restaurant
Charis Putmon (pictured) is a trauma nurse in Forsyth County, Georgia
The video starts with the unidentified mother holding her son in her arms as she notices something in his mouth and tells him to spit it out.
The concerned woman soon realizes that the object is in the boy’s throat and he is choking, causing her to lay him on the ground and call for the boy’s father.
‘Staff! Help, spit it out! Help,” she is heard shouting in what appears to be the lobby of the Tacos and Tequila Mexican Grill in Buford, Georgia.
“When I looked over and saw the look in the father’s eyes, and the look of fear and desperation on his face, I jumped out of my seat,” Putmon said.
Suddenly we see the nurse – who said she ordered a margarita when she noticed the situation – and her husband emerge from a row of tables as she investigates the situation.
Her husband used that time to comfort the worried mother.
“She’s a nurse, she’s a nurse,” her husband says. “She’s got this, I promise.”
Putmon told the local Georgia newspaper that the situation is a bit hazy, but she remembers jumping into action to try to save the child.
“I remember coming over and picking the little boy up and reacting,” she said, explaining how she immediately got to work performing the Heimlich maneuver.
“I remember after the second, third thrust, I remember everything that was in his mouth was dislodged and the father said, ‘Thanks, he’s fine,'” she said.
The boy’s mother – who screamed “Oh God” as Putmon performed the life-saving procedure – immediately grabbed the nurse and hugged her.
The rescue took place at Tacos and Tequilas Mexican Grill in Buford, Georgia
‘Staff! Help, spit it out! Help,” she is heard shouting in what appears to be the lobby of the Tacos and Tequila Mexican Grill in Buford, Georgia.
The boy’s mother and father are seen trying to get the object out of the boy’s throat
Charis (long dark hair) is seen holding the boy and giving him the Heimlich maneuver while her husband comforts the worried mother and father
The boy’s mother — who screamed “Oh God” as Putmon performed the life-saving procedure — immediately grabbed the nurse and hugged her
Putmon credited God in her TikTok caption, writing that he is “always ten steps ahead,” adding, “To God be the glory.”
However, social media users who came across the video have hailed the woman as a hero for her quick work to save the boy in distress.
More than 13,000 comments have been left on the video since it was posted on the video-sharing app a few days ago.
‘To the person who helped the glory.’
“Can you ever thank someone enough?”
“Wow, why am I crying?”
‘A villain with life-saving skills. You are great.’
‘OMG! As a mother: thank you! every parent’s worst nightmare. May heaven continue to rain blessings on you.”
Zetnam in a photo from her Instagram page
Putmon, a nurse for nearly a decade, told WSB-TV that she decided to post the video to raise awareness about an important thing the boy’s mother did to save his life.
“Screaming for help, calling for help like that mother did, was so vital and important and having that baby quickly,” she said.
She said that for those not trained in the Heimlich maneuver, becoming loud in a difficult situation could mean the difference between life and death.
She admits that being there and being so close to the boy in his time of need was nothing short of a miracle, as they also “just walked in.”
“We could have easily sat in the back of the restaurant,” Putmon said.