I had the news on in the background while I was working and heard pieces of this story. I went back, hit rewind, and watched it twice. I’m glad they uploaded the video so I could share it.
This kid, I’m in awe:
An 11-year-old boy saved a choking classmate this month and then sprung into action a second time that day when he escorted an elderly woman from a burning home, Oklahoma officials said.
For most people, let alone a child, the selflessness Davyon Johnson displayed on Dec. 9 amounts to more than a lifetime of heroics.
But Davyon’s mother, Latoya Johnson, said Thursday that her son has always demonstrated maturity beyond his years. He merely showed, she said, his true self.
“He’s always been there to help, whenever he can,” Johnson said. “He’s just still the same kid. It’s not like it’s made him any more or any less.”
Muskogee Public Schools detailed Davyon’s actions in a statement Dec. 15, saying community officials recognized him with several awards.
“The Muskogee Public Schools Board of Education recognized sixth-grader Davyon Johnson during the board meeting Tuesday night,” the statement said. “Davyon performed the Heimlich maneuver on a classmate on December 9 and that evening helped a woman from her house that was on fire. Muskogee Police Department and Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office presented Johnson with a certificate denoting him as an honor member of their force.”
His mother said Davyon was initially too modest for the accolades.
“He didn’t really want recognition. But like I told him, he did something extraordinary,” she said.
The police department presented Davyon with an honorary certificate, the sheriff’s department deemed him an honorary deputy and the school board presented him with a heroism award, Johnson said.
Davyon racked up other honors, too.
Muskogee Mayor Marlon J. Coleman said Dec. 10 was declared “Davyon Johnson Day” in the city, which has about 38,000 residents and is about 50 miles southeast of Tulsa.
Next week, Coleman said, Davyon will receive the keys to his hometown.
“He sends a clear message to the people of Muskogee that this represents the type of people we really are,” Coleman said. “He was very heroic. He was very selfless. He did it almost as part of his natural personality. It wasn’t taught. It’s just who he is as a person. For us, it makes us proud that we have those type of young people in our community.”
Davyon told his mother he learned the Heimlich maneuver on YouTube, she said.
Davyon could not be reached Thursday because he was at wrestling practice. He told the Muskogee Phoenix newspaper, you never know when the life-saving measure will come in handy.
“Just in case you’re in the situation I was in, you can know what to do,” he said.
The news outlet also reported Davyon said all the attention he’s received “felt good.”
His memorable day began at school, Johnson said, where a boy ran into Davyon’s classroom because he was choking.
“The little boy was trying to open a bottle of water with his teeth, and the top got lodged in his throat. He was trying to find help,” Johnson said.
Students crowded around the child, Johnson said, and “my son pushed everyone out the way and went and did the Heimlich maneuver.”
Davyon’s second act of heroism occurred blocks from their home hours later, Johnson said. It was the late afternoon and gettin dark when Johnson was driving her son home from wrestling practice and they smelled smoke.
At first, they thought nothing of it, Johnson said, but then they noticed that a home was burning.
Johnson parked in front of the home, honked her horn multiple times and called 911 because smoke was emanating from the back of the house, she said.
Davyon reached the front door and frantically knocked. Multiple people rushed out of the home, Johnson said. She thought the ordeal was over.
But as Davyon was moving toward her, Johnson said, an elderly woman with a walker stepped out of the front door.
At this point, the home was visibly on fire, and Davyon escorted the woman to safety, Johnson said.
She said she never feared for her son’s life, even though he put himself in harm’s way.
“I believe God is going to protect him, whatever he does in life,” she said, adding that she is beyond proud of her son.
His courage and desire to help will benefit him in the future, Johnson said. Davyon is considering a career as an emergency medical technician or a doctor, she said.
What Davyon did this month has been an emotional boost before the holidays, because his father died from complications of Covid-19 in August, Johnson said.
Davyon told his mom that his father’s spirit was with him Dec. 9, she said.
“That’s something that my dad instilled in me,” he told her.
Not quite a kid, but he did develop the app when he was 18:
I built an app called Wordle when I was 18 mostly for fun, to sharpen my coding skillz, and maybe make a quick buck. It didn’t quite take off like my previous app, Grid, did. So after a few months and ~100k total downloads, I stopped updating and promoting the app.
— Steven (@StevenCravotta) January 12, 2022
I figured someone ran a bot script and artificially sent downloads to the wrong app or something. But after a quick google search I realized I was very wrong. As it turns out the very talented developer @powerlanguish created an amazing in browser game called Wordle.
— Steven (@StevenCravotta) January 12, 2022
Because his app is monetized, Cravotta started getting proceeds through the new users. About 200,000 have downloaded his Wordle app in the last week alone, and he contacted the browser-based Wordle’s developer Josh Wardle to discuss donating the profits. They ultimately decided on Boost! West Oakland, a charity focused on after-school tutoring and mentoring for kids in the area.
Speaking to GameSpot, Cravotta said that although there have been a few bad reviews from people who didn’t realize his app came first and isn’t a clone of the new Wordle, most of the response has been positive.
“Those who did their research on the full story have come to support me! Especially on Twitter,” he added.
Cravotta is currently working on another app called Puff Count, which is designed to help vape users kick the habit. As of December, about 100,000 people had joined.
I hope these kids have given you hope in the future. They sure helped my mood.
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Now what I know you really want – critter updates:
It’s been a freakin’ ice age this week, breaking all kinds of records and the freakin’ ducks are in the freakin’ bathroom again – – here.
Willow is making herself right at home…poor Scout, she’s just not good at setting boundaries. That is her empty can, a treat I let the pups have when it’s an empty container of something good, like cat food, yogurt, or tuna. Willow and Trixie continue their plotting to take over here. More Willow here.
Okay, that’s it for this week. Just a note, I know some of you have sent me some very, very touching stories about love, loss, and renewal…I’m going to hold off on those for a while. I do have them tucked away in my Kindness folder. But at the moment, I’m in no place to do them justice. Give me a month or so…
And keep sending me the kindness stuff!
Enjoy!
SiubhanDuinne
@SiubhanDuinne:
Let’s try that again, and get it right before the edit window closes!
I love that Davyon is wearing a NASA sweatshirt. Tells me that he is a sciency kid, and we need all of those we can get.
Glad the OG Wordle guy is also getting some
coonCOIN from his invention. ETA: And especially happy that he and Wardle teamed up to support a charity with their proceeds. That’s hearteningAnd now I’m going to catch up on TaMara’s critters :-)
jnfr
It has been so unbearably cold this week! I stay huddled by my office space heater to keep the feet warm.
All the kindness to you, and the ducks, and all the critters. The light has turned, and spring will come again. Hang in there.
NotMax
Unreal estate: came across this recently. Doubt you’ll find many wearing berets and striped shirts on the streets, though.
;)
(Wikipedia tells me it’s now not near as deserted as the article implies.)
Brachiator
Great kid and great story. Blessings to him and his family and community.
am
Adam Silverman, an update would be most welcome.
TaMara
I just put up some 19 weeks (!!) photos of Trixie and bonus Willow here.
marcopolo
Edited: Well, deleted post at Tamara’s request…
TaMara
@marcopolo:
@am:
Not to police the thread, but this not the place for this. This is one place everyone can take a break from all of that.
ETA: Just spoke to Adam, he’ll put up a post in a few minutes…
CaseyL
@TaMara: Trixie has lovely soulful eyes. And Willow looks ready for anything!
rikyrah
@TaMara:
Too cute???
rikyrah
The stories are heart warming???
Percysowner
I do love this one Kid’s Handmade Book, Snuck Into Library, Now Has A Years-Long Waiting List
Cameron
What a wonderful young man. I needed that. Hell, the whole country, the whole world needs that. Eleven years old. Damn.
Origuy
Here’s a feel good story.
Miss Bianca
@Percysowner: I clicked on that one, and then couldn’t resist following another link – talk about clickbait!
Firefighters Launch Tense Rescue After Pet Tortoise Traps Pet Dog in Underground Burrow
Spoiler alert: It ends happily. But it’s a heck of a story getting there!
mrmoshpotato
Excellent.
Gonna sit down for a movie-length Q&A with Simple Living Alaska.
am
Leslie
That first photo of Trixie and Willow just slays me. Now to check out the bonus pics. And thanks for all the lovely stories.