Today... for the first time in my life... I witnessed the rescue of a person who was choking.
It was terrifying, and at the same time, miraculous.
Terrifying for it to happen to anyone. But in this case, the victim was one of my long-time friends.
Miraculous... to watch emergency personnel jump into action.
I was the lunchtime guest speaker at a local church. My friend and her husband had come to hear me speak. After my remarks, we were enjoying a covered-dish meal in the fellowship building.
Suddenly a crowd was gathering outside at the entrance, and I could hear a terrible gagging sound.
When I walked outside, I saw my friend doubled over, her face turning red.
Something was lodged in her throat. She couldn't breathe.
A retired deputy in the lunch crowd had jumped into action, performing the Heimlich maneuver. He did it again and again.
The church pastor dialed 9-1-1. Fortunately we were near a fire station. Soon one rescue truck arrived, then two more. One of the rescuers began performing more Heimlich thrusts.
Soon my friend began to relax and catch her breath. She sat down on a curb. One of the rescuers examined her. My friend was feeling better, and the color of her face was returning to normal.
She was going to be okay.
Thank God.
In my 54 years, I'd never witnessed anything like this.
Everything had come into place for this emergency to have a happy ending.
A highly-trained former deputy was in the crowd. The rescue squad was nearby.
And it all happened at a church. I'm sure the people in the crowd had joined me in silent prayer that our friend would be okay.
It always amazes me to watch emergency personnel spring into action. In dangerous situations where many people don't know what to do, they know -exactly- what to do.
That's why they train and train and train. That's why our tax money that buys their equipment is very well-spent.
Today's rescuers included a former Spartanburg County deputy and members of the Westview-Fairforest Fire Department.
My family and I happen to live in the Westview-FF protection zone.
We're safer having the members of that department around.
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