TEACHER USES HEIMLICH MANEUVER TO SAVE STUDENT
It was lunch time at Brockett
Elementary School . Students filled the cafeteria tables , enjoying their lunches . Jaina Darkwa ’ s friends say they were talking and laughing when suddenly Jaina began to choke . “ I thought I was dying for a second ,” Jaina said .
Grace George , one of the teachers on cafeteria duty , said she was about to step out for a moment to check on another student .
“ I got to the door , and I heard kids screaming ,” George said . “ I turned to look , and Jaina had her hands on her
throat . She couldn ’ t talk or breathe .”
George rushed over to her 9-year old student and applied the Heimlich maneuver .
“ She pushed my stomach back and then the nacho came out of my mouth ,” Jaina said .
Thankfully , Jaina immediately began breathing , and George took her to the nurse to get checked out . Jaina ’ s mom , Freda Agyemang , said when she got the call from school she panicked .
“ It felt surreal , but then the nurse said Mrs . George had already done the maneuver on her and she was okay ,” Agyemang said . “ I was so scared , but I trust the teachers .”
George has maintained her CPR certificate , which includes training on the Heimlich maneuver , for more than
Teacher Grace George poses for a photo with student Jaina Darkwa .
20 years . She says she knows her students well , so even above the noise of an elementary school cafeteria , she could tell the calls for help were sincere .
“ It didn ’ t hit me right away that I saved her life . I feel like that ’ s just what I do – I take care of kids ,” George said .
Jaina is grateful for her friends who alerted the teacher of her emergency , and she now has a special place in her heart for her fourth-grade math teacher who saved her life .
“ She ’ s the greatest teacher I ’ ve ever known ,” Jaina said .
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