ND – Are You Prepared To Save A Life?

There is no doubt in my mind that everyone needs to know how to do this

It can happen in the blink of an eye, anywhere. You could be at a baseball game, or a wedding, or even at a restaurant ( where some over 30 years ago I experienced this myself ) - I really believe that everyone needs to know how to perform the Heimlich Maneuver, you can literally save the life of someone choking to death. Some people may not know exactly what to do, and that could be tragic.

A man stood up in front of me, and his face turned beet red

I was a busboy in a busy restaurant over 30 years ago in San Diego, I still remember this scary moment like it happened yesterday. A man stood up out of his chair, his face turning more and more by the second - he was gasping for air - he was choking on something. I couldn't believe how quickly I reacted, I asked him if he was choking, which he nodded "Yes" - I performed the Heimlich Manuever, and what seemed like an eternity, a piece of steak fell out of his mouth. He sat down, and I immediately went to the employee room and took a second to realize what had taken place - I wasn't a hero, I just did something that EVERYONE should know how to do.

It’s a quick and life-saving method

I was fortunate enough to learn the Heinlich in a health class in college - according my.clevelandclinic.org/ here are the basics:

How do you perform the Heimlich maneuver?

To perform the Heimlich maneuver, follow these steps:

• Stand behind the person and put your arms around their belly (abdomen).
• Make a fist with one hand and clasp your other hand tightly around it.
• Place the thumb side of your fist just below their ribcage and about two inches above their belly button (navel).
• Sharply and quickly thrust your hands inward and upward five times.
• Repeat this process until you free (dislodge) the object stuck in their windpipe, or the person becomes unconscious. If the person becomes unconscious, start CPR.

Just takes a couple of seconds to learn this, and be ready to possibly save a life in the future.