Maitham Ali, a 13-year-old from West London, saved his two-day-old brother's life by using first aid skills he learned as a St John Ambulance Cadet. The newborn, Mohammad-Jawad, had vomited and his airway became blocked, causing him to turn blue and struggle to breathe.
Maitham was in his bedroom when he heard a commotion downstairs. He rushed down to find his mum Raghad and grandmother panicking as they held the baby. "I asked them what was going on and my dad told me he was choking," Maitham explains. The baby was opening his mouth as though trying to take a breath, but no sound was coming out.
Quick Thinking in a Crisis
As the family panicked, Maitham stayed calm and directed the situation. He instructed his mum to rest the baby on her arm, belly first, supporting his head with her hand, and to give back blows—not too hard, but hard enough to dislodge anything in the airway. After two back blows, Mohammad-Jawad began to cry. Maitham reassured his mum that because he was crying, it meant his airway was open.
Raghad described the relief when her newborn began breathing again. "The colour came back and my baby was breathing again. It's all down to Maitham's extensive knowledge which he learned with St John," she says. She admitted she had no first aid training and had been sucking the baby's mouth and nose to remove the blockage, which a doctor later told her was not the right thing to do.
Training Pays Off
Maitham is a member of the London Polish Cadets in Ealing and joined St John Ambulance as a Badger when he was nine. His 19-year-old sister Judy was interested in a career in medicine, and when Raghad discovered St John Ambulance, she decided to enrol them both. Maitham had previously planned to work in palaeontology or archaeology, but after his training and early lifesaving success, he is now considering a career in medicine. A week after the incident in June, he completed his Community First Aid course with St John Ambulance.
His unit leader, Tom Canavan, says: "While I was amazed by what Maitham had done, I can’t say I was entirely surprised. When it comes to helping others, Maitham has always shown compassion, confidence and a willingness to step forward. Through his time as a St John Ambulance Cadet, he has developed strong first aid skills, but more importantly, he has developed the courage to use them when it really matters."
Broader Impact and Campaign
New St John Ambulance research among 2,000 Britons found that more than a third (34%) worry about their baby choking and not knowing what to do, while almost a quarter (23%) have not learned any first aid. According to the latest ONS data, 12 children under five died from choking in England between 2020 and 2024, including nine babies. Mohammad-Jawad was checked by paramedics and made a full recovery. His family credit Maitham’s quick thinking and first aid skills with saving his life.
Raghad now plans to learn first aid herself. "It’s very important to know what to do in an emergency," she says. Maitham is sharing his story as part of St John Ambulance’s Save a Life September campaign, launching on Tuesday 18 August, which aims to encourage people to learn first aid through free public demonstrations and online guidance. Throughout September, St John Ambulance first aid volunteers will deliver free demonstrations in public spaces across the country. The campaign aims to give half a million people the confidence to respond when an adult, child or baby is choking, bleeding severely or in cardiac arrest.
Since relaunching Save a Life September in 2024, St John Ambulance has taught more than 800,000 people vital first aid skills. This year, it aims to reach another 500,000 people, taking the overall total beyond one million. Tom adds: "You’re never too young to learn lifesaving skills. A few minutes spent learning how to help someone who is choking, or a few hours learning CPR, how to use an AED or how to respond to a medical emergency, could one day make the difference between life and death."
