NORMAL -- The parents of Hope Knoerle personally thanked the man who saved their 6-year-old daughter's life -- and they did it Monday with the help of Normal firefighters and 600 cheering students at Prairieland Elementary School in Normal.

Hope was eating a hot dog in the cafeteria on March 28 when suddenly she choked and couldn't breathe. Custodian John Burton hurried to her aid and performed the Heimlich maneuver he had learned in a CPR class at the school.

Hope didn't immediately respond. She started turning blue and became unconscious. He picked her up in his arms and ran toward to the office to call an ambulance.

The combination of the maneuver and his actions carrying her dislodged the food and cleared the airway. Her color returned and she breathed normally.

"I was scared. I'm happy I'm alive," Hope said.

Hope's mother, Dana Knoerle, later contacted the Normal Fire Department to ask if he could be honored, and Monday the department's education officer, Matt Swaney, presented Burton with a Life Saving Award. Uniformed Normal firefighters stood on stage with Burton and Hope for the presentation during the assembly.

"It shows you how one person can make a difference and save a life," Swaney said.