COLUMBIA, S.C. — Sitting on her porch, Dale Davis scrolls through photos and videos of her 2-year-old grandson, Amir, reflecting on how close she came to losing him just 24 hours prior.
“I call him Hurricane,” Davis said with a grin. “He knows his ABCs, he can spell his first name, he knows his colors and some shapes.”
Davis was in good spirits Thursday, but her world had nearly shattered just a day earlier.
Davis said she and Amir were driving home from a doctor’s appointment when something in her rearview mirror caught her attention.
“I thought I was just seeing things,” Davis said. “I did a quick look back, and I saw he was gagging for breath. His eyes were rolling back, and his arm was flaring.”
Panic set in. Amir was choking.
“I put my car in park, threw on my flashers, ran to the other side, and snatched him out of his car seat,” Davis said. “I began trying to do CPR.”
As traffic whizzed by on busy Broad Street, Davis felt helpless — until she said an angel named Anidra Ragin stepped in.
“I noticed a car in the median,” said Ragin, a Sumter social worker. “The traffic was crazy—one of our busier highways. Cars were just zooming left and right.”
Ragin was going to pick up her children from school when she saw Davis performing CPR on Amir as cars continuously passed.
“I catty-cornered my truck to stop one lane of traffic from flowing toward them,” Ragin said. “I jumped out to see what was going on.”
Ragin quickly calmed Davis, called 911, and continued CPR until Amir finally breathed. Paramedics arrived minutes later and rushed the boy to a children’s hospital.
“She stopped, and she felt the need to assist me,” Davis said. “Not many people would do that. Four or five cars passed us before anyone stopped. She was my angel. She really was my angel.”
For Ragin, praise for her actions is unnecessary. Rather, she hopes her decision to stop inspires others to act in moments of crisis out of gratitude, love, and kindness.
“If I was a mom, and my baby had a moment in the car, I would hope someone in this community would be bold enough to come and help,” Ragin said. “That’s what we should do for each other.”
Amir is now recovering, and Davis is holding him closer, forever thankful for the stranger who became their hero.