A nine-year-old Sydney boy used skills he learned at Scouts to save his young brother's life when he started turning blue from an allergic reaction.

The brave act has even been recognised by one Australia's top soccer players, Tim Cahill, who praised the young boy who did his best to save his brother.

It was a chocolate treat on his birthday that set-off an allergic reaction in five-year-old Ben Redwood.

View photos

View photos Jenny Redwood thought she would lose her young son when he had a nut reaction. Source: 7 News More





The nut allergy was potentially fatal, sending Ben into an anaphylactic shock as his mother Jenny Redwood started racing him to hospital.

Ben was in the backseat with his older brother Zach when he started turning blue.

"Zach was saying he's going blue mum I was saying 'Oh my god we're going to lose him,'" Jenny told 7 News.

"His lips were turning blue, his toes were a funny shape, his eyes turned back and he had snot all over himself."

View photos Jenny raced the boys to hospital, thinking she would lose her youngest. Source: 7 News More

Jenny recalls how she felt "really helpless… scared", but her son knew exactly what to do.

"I just took my seatbelt off and I just breathed into him," Zach said.

"I learned it at Scouts… they teached us. We got a fake doll dummy and we had to breathe into their mouth," he said.

View photos Zach used the first aid skills he learnt at Scouts. Source: 7 News More

The quick-think act of mouth-to-mouth saved young Ben's life and Socceroo Tim Cahill even took his hat off to the young hero.

"Just want to say a big hello first of all and I heard about the amazing story about the way you helped save your brothers life," Cahill said in a video message to the young Scout.



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