Janiece Jenkins: Hero teacher saves 9-yr-old from choking on bottle cap with Heimlich maneuver
A dramatic video footage shows a New Jersey teacher performing a Heimlich maneuver to save a 9-year-old student from choking on Wednesday, April 6. The incident unfolded at East Orange Community Charter School after a third-grader identified as Robert attempted to open a water bottle using his teeth, after failing to open it with his hands.
The surveillance footage shows the third-grader, immediately began choking on the cap and was unable to cough it out. Recalling the incident Robert said, "Then I was squeezing it a little and then the water pushed the cap to my throat." The youngster then runs towards the sink at the rear of the classroom to try to get it out, but it was no good. "I was going to the sink trying to cough it out and I couldn't so I ran very quickly to Ms. [Janiece] Jenkins," he added. The third-grade teacher then helps the boy, stop the choking by performing the Heimlich maneuver.
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In an interview with NJ.com, Jenkins said: "Robert could not explain what had happened. He was pointing to his neck and he's all flustered." "He can't talk so then I just turn him around and I perform the Heimlich maneuver and here we are," she added.
"I didn't really think, I just acted," Jenkins said. "I saw he needed help and I just sprung into action to help him. He couldn't breathe, his face was pretty pale and he had a look of desperation on his face," she added. Jenkins, who has taught at the school for five years was trained in CPR and basic first aid when she was a preschool teacher and recently took a refresher course.
"Once he was safe, I got him to the nurse and I felt 100% better. Then my emotions got the best of me in hindsight thinking of what could've happened," Jenkins said. She exclaimed, "Thank God, I was able to do what I did." The third-grade teacher added, "This is the first time I ever did the Heimlich maneuver for real. I'm glad it worked."
The school principal, Tracey Watkins said she was extremely grateful. "This situation could have had a tragic outcome," Watkins said. "As a school community, we are so grateful and so proud of Ms. Jenkins. Instead of freezing and panicking, she recalled what she learned in the CPR training and used those skills to save a life," she added.
What is Heimlich Maneuver?
Heimlich maneuver is an emergency first aid measure for upper airwave obstructions involving a series of abdominal thrusts to dislodge foreign objects that are stuck in a person's throat causing them to choke. Every year, thousands of people die from choking on objects that obstruct their airways and cause suffocation. As per statistics, choking is in fact the fourth leading cause of unintentional death. However, there is a simple technique that can be used to expel a trapped object from a person’s airway. This technique is called Heimlich maneuver, also known as abdominal thrusts. To perform this on someone who is choking; One needs to stand behind the person, wrap their arms around the choking person's waist and then tip them forward slightly. In case a child is choking, the person who is performing this technique, needs to kneel down behind the child. The person then should make a fist with one hand and slightly position it above the choking person’s navel. And then, he/she should press hard into the abdomen with quick, upward thrust – as if trying to lift the person up. This technique should be performed between 6 and 10 abdominal thrusts until the blockage is dislodged.