Flooded with a sensation of panic, senior Brad Schillinger was choking on his lifesaver. Just a few moments ago on that very day of October 12, he had been taking notes in Mrs. Shah’s second period Physics class while laughing at his lab partner’s joke. Fortunately, in a matter of seconds, a fellow classmate’s Boy Scout training would save Brad’s life.
At first, Brad didn’t fully understand the importance of the situation. “I was just coughing
since I thought nothing would happen,” he reflected. “I went to drink my water, and it was still there. That’s when I knew it was serious, so I stood up.”
As his realization dawned upon him, Brad’s fear began to take over. “I couldn’t really process what was going on because I haven’t choked before,” Brad added. “But it was really scary…Once I realized it was in there and I couldn’t get it out myself, I was panicking because I didn’t know if it would come out.”
Meanwhile, the rest of the class looked on with horror at the event. Senior Matt Claypool,
who sits diagonally from Brad, recalled how “… no one was screaming, but [the class was]… just scared. Brad could’ve died at any second.” According to him, their reactions mainly resulted from shock because “all of [the students] in the classroom were [thinking], ‘How could this be happening in school? This just isn’t supposed to happen.’”
Even Mrs. Shah was taken aback by Brad’s sudden plight, explaining that she had never “expect[ed] something like this to happen in the classroom.” When Brad first began to choke, Mrs. Shah was facing sideways in her lecture, and therefore did not realize he was choking. “When I saw him first… I thought he was about to throw up [or]… had an asthma attack,” she recollected. “[But] when John Palsgrove, his lab partner, said that he believed Brad was choking, that’s when I yelled [for] somebody to go get the nurse.”
At that precise moment, a sudden epiphany sparked in Matt’s mind. He had learned the Heimlich maneuver before in Boy Scotts, and realized that he could help Brad. “It was all an adrenaline rush,” explained Matt. “I really didn’t think of what I was doing; I just sort of did it. It was… like second nature. Afterwards, I was trying to process what had happened.”
As soon the candy had been dislodged, Brad was hurried out of the classroom right as the school nurse, Mrs. Secrest, arrived. Afterwards, Brad felt fine. “I’m just glad that Matt Claypool came over,” he expressed.
Mrs. Shah added how “[she] appreciated how the whole class worked together to help the student. [She] was very impressed by Matt, and his ability to stand up and do what needed to be done to help another student.”
This isn’t PR’s first incident of a student choking and getting saved through the Heimlich maneuver. Last year, Casey Wharton, who is currently a sophomore, choked on a clementine towards the end of his Ancient Civilizations class. “Mr. Terhaar gave the Heimlich maneuver to the student,” Mrs. Secrest narrated. “The situation was very similar. [Casey] put [his] hands to [his] throat” to signal his distress.
Looking back on the event, Matt believes that it is important for anybody, whether student
or adult, to be prepared for this type of situation. “I would like to have a class where teachers and students in the school can go learn CPR and the Heimlich maneuver,” he stated. “[It] can really help.”
Mrs. Secrest also agrees that it is a good idea to take one of these classes. “You are given the opportunity to do a little bit of practice, and the instruction will show you exactly where to place your hands,” she validated.
Classes are offered in your local park district. If you look on the internet, there are plenty of different opportunities and places. In addition to taking classes, you can always look up how to perform the maneuver online through many professional resources.
As Mrs. Secrest reinforced, students should all make an effort to learn because “the Heimlich maneuver is really as simple as it is portrayed to be.” Since “it doesn’t take a lot of muscle to push into the stomach,” Mrs. Secrest explained that anyone can do it as long as they try. Furthermore, the Heimlich maneuver “is nice since you don’t only have one try. You can keep trying and trying and reposition… Eventually, you’ll be able to get it just right.”
Each year, more than 2800 people die from choking. “For your own family, for your own loved ones, make sure you are educated!” Mrs. Secrest exclaimed. “[And] in the time of crisis, everybody seems to remember what they were taught… and it works.” This was certainly the case when Matt Claypool stepped up to save Brad Schillinger’s life.
