BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — Florida Highway Patrol trooper Billy Ortiz just got home from work on Sunday evening when he noticed a truck speeding to his driveway with its horns blaring.
"The driver came out screaming," Ortiz said.
Ortiz said he would find 8-month-old Daylen choking on a plastic wrapper.
Prior, Daylen's parents Dayton and Shian said he started to gag at home. His father tried to dislodge the wrapper out of him but "it was getting worse." The baby's lips were turning blue and the family called 911. However, time was running out so they rushed to a neighbor for help.
At some point, they found Ortiz pulling into his driveway.
"For anything like this to happen, it is just terrifying," Daylen's father said.
Ortiz attempted to dislodge the wrapper, along with Daylen's aunt Chastity Bishop, a retired medical assistant, but neither were able.
The two decided it was best to take Daylen to the hospital themselves. Ortiz rushed him to the hospital with his patrol car, while Bishop kept him upside in the backseat to breathe.
"Which was the only way that he could breathe," Bishop said.
Daylen was taken to Oak Hill Hospital where crews later flew him to Johns Hopkins All Childrens Hospital.
As of Wednesday, his parents said he is still recovering in intensive care, but is now able to breathe on his own. The choking incident inflamed his lungs and airway.
Ortiz spoke to the public for the first time Wednesday. He said he doesn't think he's a hero. Rather, he was just at the right place at the right time.
However, his parents disagree.
"That man saved our baby's life," Daylen's father's said. "This man did a step above what needs to be done. He is a hero in my book."
Bishop said despite her work as a medical assistant for 12 years, helping out family versus a stranger is a different experience.
"When it's your own family, you have that moment of panic and that moment of panic can be the difference between life and death," Bishop said.
Ortiz said he plans to reunite with Daylen once he can go home. He hopes he can discuss what happened when Daylen is old enough to understand.
"I just wish the best for him," Ortiz said. "I wish that his health is always the best."
Ortiz said he's grateful for everyone else involved in saving Daylen's life, including hospital staff.
He also revealed he encountered his own daughter choking when she was 7 years old.
