A 9-year-old fourth grader is set to be honored for her heroics after she performed the Heimlich maneuver to save a classmate from choking. According to The Associated Press, Essie Collier’s quick-thinking action likely saved her classmate’s life.
The Tuesday incident occurred as students at Racine’s Fratt Elementary School were having lunch. And Essie is said to have rendered aid to her classmate after she noticed she was experiencing some discomfort. The students were having their lunch in a classroom at the time of the incident.
“I just saw that she was holding her neck, and I rushed up there as fast as I can,” Essie said.
RELATED STORIES
A teacher at the school, Samantha Bradshaw, said that Essie performed the Heimlich maneuver on her choking classmate after she put her arms around her. Her classmate was eventually able to breathe without any issues shortly after her airway was unblocked.
“I have never seen a student react in that way before,” said Bradshaw.
Essie said she was 7 when she learned how to perform the Heimlich maneuver. She said she watched the tutorial video on YouTube, adding that she had since not forgotten the lesson.
And for her heroics, Essie is set to be honored by the Racine Unified School Board during a meeting later this month.
