We recently had a former customer reach out about a testimonial and wanted to share it here:

 

I was covering a colleague’s 4th grade lunch duty, since I cover 4th grade recess duty right after that time, when I heard a light cough from my right side. I did not feel alarm till I heard that cough become more of a grunt, to which I turned my attention and noticed my student grasping at their throat, assuming a purpleish color in their face. 

I immediately thought to myself, “oh, I need to give this kid the Heimlich! Okay, let’s do this,” and took action. Thankfully in most of my CPR/BLS trainings I received hands-on learning opportunities, so I had remembered where to put my hands, how to grasp them together, and how to execute the movements. It took three thrusts to dislodge the obstruction, partially because of the awkward positioning due to the built-in lunch bench; the culprit was a large chunk of string cheese. I was extremely grateful that they were able to catch a breath, I cannot imagine how the student felt in that moment. 

Afterwards the school nurse came by to retrieve the student, call home, etc. The risk of aspiration is high in those events, which can lead to pneumonia, or there could be damage to the trachea, so the student was taken to the hospital later that day. Thankfully, they cleared that as well. 

The moment felt like it lasted for a few minutes, though truly, it was a minute at most. My colleagues reported to me that I seemed calm during the moment, but trust, I was extremely alarmed and praying that I was doing it right and helping the student. 

I am grateful to myself for following my instincts and taking the action I did, and thankful that I had the knowledge to carry out the maneuver and keep a mother’s baby breathing. Both being aware of my surroundings and signs of trouble, and my training in the Heimlich, were literally vital, because the outcome could have been very different otherwise.