Remember the Heimlich? Remember the posters that were up in your lunchroom? I don't think they are anymore, but some kids are still aware of the life-saving technique.
Ryan Lim, a 10-year-old boy from Boca Raton, Florida, dislodged a piece of carrot from classmate Maranda Parliament's throat in the lunchroom at Del Prado Community Elementary School. Lim said, "I was, like, hearing her coughing, and she didn't feel so well, so I turned around when I heard the coughing because she was choking." (I love how they quote him so, like, exactly, y'know?)
Lim said that he heard about the Heimlich maneuver on television.
While this is, of course, a nice story with a happy ending, it got me a little bummed out that the classic poster isn't hanging up in schools anymore. I myself had the Heimlich used on me in 2nd grade; a friend of mine heard me cough, saw the Heimlich poster and leapt into action. I wasn't choking as it turned out, but if I had been, believe me, I would have been grateful.
Asked about a reward, Lim said, "The best thing is to do good deeds. That's really the reward." That's true, but somebody should take this kid to a baseball game or something. He deserves it.
image: umich.edu
