Three teachers honored for saving third grader who choked twice in one day
The Omaha Fire Department visited Oakdale Elementary School to hail three teachers as heroes for saving one of their students.
By Waverle Monroe
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OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — The Omaha Fire Department visited Oakdale Elementary School to hail three teachers as heroes for saving one of their students.
Westside Community Schools staff Kim Briggs, Kim Reagan and Erin Hamilton went above and beyond to save a third-grader twice in one day.
“I believe I was in the middle of helping fifth-grade when I got a page on my walkie-talkie saying, ‘We need you immediately,'” Reagan said.
Reagan said without hesitation she made her way upstairs where two students were eating lunch. She didn’t know it yet, but one of them was choking.
“Mrs. Briggs, the other special education teacher had done the Heimlich on Elizabeth because she had eaten that pork sandwich and it had just gotten lodged in there and had pretty much just saved her life because she was pretty pale and blue at the time,” Reagan said.
Reagan called Elizabeth’s mom, Joan Huss.
“(Reagan) trying to tell me what happened and I was like, ‘Stop. Stop. Is Elizabeth OK?’ and she said, ‘Elizabeth is fine,’ and I said, ‘OK, go through what happened,'” Huss said.
Huss said her daughter, who has a rare genetic disorder, has never choked on food before let alone twice in a day.
“When she chokes is it because the muscle in her throat hasn’t developed enough for the rest of her body, is it because of this, that and other,” Huss said.
Reagan, who is a former pediatric nurse, and Huss both decided Elizabeth should finish the school day.
“I had gotten her calm and back into the routine of daily school,” Reagan said.
Then minutes before the final bell, Elizabeth was eating fruit snacks and began to choke again. This time, Reagan was there to save her.
“In seconds, I had noticed she had been doing one of these, obviously the universal sign of choking. So, we went straight into the Heimlich right at dismissal time,” Reagan said.
Wednesday, the fire department presented each teacher with the Life Saver Award.
“On behalf of the Omaha Fire Department and Mayor Stothert we’d like to congratulate you on saving a life,” Omaha Fire Battalion Chief Scott Fitzpatrick said.
Elizabeth’s mom said she is thankful.
“This is a hopeful message because my kid’s alive today,” Huss said.
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