Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 30, 1990 TAG: 9005300235
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jacqueline James
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
But the 14-year-old seventh-grader has received compliments from her friends at Cave Spring Junior High School and congratulations from others for having saved 7-year-old Christopher Merrill from choking to death Monday.
Thomas was baby-sitting another child and Merrill had come over to play. Christopher began choking after eating a piece of candy that Thomas says was bigger than a quarter.
For seven minutes Thomas used the Heimlich maneuver to try to dislodge the candy from Christopher's throat. As she continued, she told the boy she was baby-sitting to call 911.
"I kept thinking, `Is this child going to die? What if 911 doesn't get here?' I was scared," Thomas said in a phone interview.
The Heimlich maneuver is used to dislodge an object from a choking victim's windpipe. The victim is clasped from behind, a closed fist is placed below the rib cage and air is forced out of the lungs in an upward thrust.
By the time the rescue squad had arrived, Thomas had gotten the job done.
Sue Thomas said her daughter was able to save the child's life because of a one-hour course in lifesaving she took as a fifth-grader in Colorado.
Sue Thomas said that on Tuesday, she called the principal at the elementary school in Colorado to thank him for having the course.
"I thought I'd never have to use it. It does save lives," said Jennifer.
by CNB