Watching TV can be lifesaving: A Long Island 12-year-old saved her best friend's life when she performed the Heimlich maneuver—which she recalled from an episode of Spongebob Squarepants. Miriam Starobin told the Post, "It was like a flash right in my eyes. I saw in my head Squidward with his clarinet lodged in his throat and then SpongeBob does the Heimlich maneuver and the clarinet comes flying out of his mouth." FWIW, that's the Squidtastic Voyage episode. more ›

After army medic John Stone performed the Heimlich maneuver on Toby Weiss as she was choking at Wednesday's Yankees game, the Weiss family has been nothing but grateful. "We're connected now," Weiss told Stone. "It's not a one-shot deal. I would be dead without you." Married to Rabbi Avi Weiss of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, Weiss invited Stone to their synagogue, and continued with the onslaught of praise, insisting that Stone was a gift from God. "I thank God that he sent John to the Stadium that day," she said. "If I had another baby, I'd name him John Stone - boy or girl. Without you, I don't know if I'd be here today." more ›

At yesterday's Yankees game, a "prominent Bronx rabbi's wife [was] choking on a piece of kosher London broil," according to the Daily News. Army medic John Stone, 15 rows away, went over when he saw the commotion and performed the Heimlich maneuver, "I stepped behind her, gave her about five or six abdominal thrusts and eventually she coughed up whatever she was choking on." Just in time—a police source said that Toby Weiss was "panicking" and about to "pass out." Stone, who served in Iraq and got high fives from fellow spectators, got a seat upgrade to right behind home plate when the Yankees heard about his save, "It was incredible. They have the utmost class." And here's how to do the Heimlich. more ›

Ten-year-old Keith Johnson is being hailed as a hero after he helped save a classmate who was choking. Newsday reports that Keith noticed the student choking during lunch--"His face was turning red"--so he "went behind the victim, put his fists under the student's rib cage and pushed up." Which helped the boy "dislodge" a sandwich. The school, which gave Keith a certificate of appreciation, says there was a lunch aide, but the fifth-grader got to the choking boy first. Keith's parents believe their son learned the Heimlich maneuver by seeing the safety signs in restaurants--his mom said, "He's always reading. He likes to know what's going on around him." more ›