The school resource officer at Aventura Waterways K-8 Center is being billed as a hero.
Miami-Dade Schools Police School Resource Officer Anthony Davila said he treats the kids there as if they were his own.
It was on March 11 when he put his life-saving skills to the test, saving 13-year-old Alex Senabria from choking.
Now the two have an inextricable bond.
“Oh, I thought it’s over,” said Senabria. “I was gonna turn blue and fall on the ground. It’s over.”
Senabria was having lunch at school when he began choking on potato chips, and immediately ran toward the one person he knew could help save his life.
“I knew this child’s life was in my hands,” said Davila. “I performed back blows, and when that wasn’t working, I switched to the Heimlich.”
“I knew in that moment I was gonna be OK,” said Senabria. “When he was doing the Heimlich.”
“And luckily he threw the object up and regained breathing,” added Davila. “Right there, I realized that I saved his life. It didn’t kick in until that moment. It could have gone so many ways.”
And that realization left Senabria with no choice but to throw his arms around the man who saved him.
“Because he saved my life and I was very grateful,” he said. “Because if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here today.”
“It melted my heart,” said Davila. “Especially the hug at the end. It touched right here.”
Now the two are bonding further over their shared love of law enforcement.
Senabria says he wants to be an officer someday.
“I just don’t like seeing people do bad things to other people so I wanna send the bad guys to jail,” he said.
Davila was recognized on Wednesday for his life saving actions, a moment he says he’ll remember forever.
“This impacted me a whole lot, knowing I saved Alex’s life,” he said. “I see these students as my kids. And I wanna make sure they get home to their parents and families every day safely.”
Senabria said he already knows the Heimlich maneuver and wants to learn CPR next.
