Turkey basters are usually kept in the kitchen, but when you’re faced with a tough decision that must be made in a split second, sometimes you have to get creative with how it’s used.

Michigan man Bill Hogenson was working in the neighborhood when he heard cries for help from a woman in a nearby house, and ran over to find the 5-month old she was babysitting choking on something. Reacting quickly, he began CPR on the infant. When that didn’t work, he grabbed the baster and used it as a bulb syringe to suck the mucus from the baby’s nose and throat.

“We heard one of the babysitters talking on the phone to 911 saying that the baby is purple and not breathing,” said Hogenson. “At first I was in disbelief that did I just hear that. So I started jogging towards her. I went to the drawer and found a turkey baster and used the turkey baster to clear her nasal passage and her airway. Patted her on the back some more, then spun her around and got a good look at her and she quit crying and she smiled at me and I knew that we were going to be in the good.”

The baby’s parents, Shawn and Robin Gasciogne, say they are indebted to Hogenson and insist it was fate that led him to the babysitter’s home that day.

“If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t have this beautiful baby here now, and we are forever grateful,” Shawn Gasciogne said.

Infants are, unfortunately, susceptible to choking on mucus because their nasal passages aren’t fully formed yet; they can even spit up and have it come out their nose. The best thing to do if a baby starts to get choked is to keep a calm head and clear the passages as soon as possible.

CBS Atlanta 46