Fourth-Grader Puts CPR Skills To Use
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
Tuesday, M-TEMS presented her with a certificate and a Challenge Coin for her heroism. Her grandmother, Diane Casper, also received a coin.
Multi-Township EMS visits all fourth- and sixth-grade classes in the Warsaw Community Schools Corp. by teacher request. The paramedics teach hands-only CPR, the Heimlich maneuver and other basic safety tips, according to paramedic Darrell Sopher.
In December, before WCS went on Christmas break, Sopher and his partner, Cody Manges, taught Lori A. and the rest of her class the safety tips. She said it was hard to remember all that she learned, but it was easy and fun.
This past Sunday, Casper was in her room eating a patty melt, but a piece of the meat didn’t go all the way down. She couldn’t breathe in or out. She ran down the hall to her daughter’s (Lori M. Davila) room for help.
“Her lips were blue when she came into my room. Her face was complete white,” Lori M. said.
Lori M. panicked. She took her mother into her arms and tried to squeeze the lodged food out of her. That’s when Lori A. pushed her mom’s arm out of the way and said she knew what to do.
Lori A. performed the CPR that she learned at school on her grandmother. Casper belched and air was able to come up so she was able to breathe again.
“I was pretty much out of it at the time. I was barely conscious,” Casper recalled. “Lori (M.) said a piece of meat came up and I guess our dog ate it.”
Once her grandmother was OK, Lori A. recalled, “I was glad it was over.” She told her grandmother to drink some water.
“I didn’t want to drink or nothing,” Casper said. “She said she was going to put me on baby food.”
Lori M. said she didn’t realize until the next day how bad the situation could have been if it wasn’t for her daughter.
“You were shaking like a leaf,” Casper told Lori M. “This one here (Lori A.) just went about her business. All in a day’s work.”
“I’m so glad you taught that class. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here,” Casper said to Sopher and Manges.
“We all are,” Lori M. said.
Casper said if they had waited for an ambulance, she wouldn’t be here today.
After the incident, Lori M. emailed Washington Principal Tom Ray thanking him for the opportunity for students to learn CPR. Ray forwarded the email to M-TEMS Operations Division Chief Tony Doyle, who then shared it with Sopher and Manges.
“We try to impress upon the kids, in the process of teaching the class, that there’s a good chance if they ever have to use this it would be for a family member,” Sopher said. “We actually utilized the Christmas time that was coming up that it could be grandma or grandpa in our scenario. We told them that it’s (them) who are saving the lives, it’s not us in the ambulance that do it. It’s the early recognition of a cardiac arrest. The early use of CPR, or the ability to step in.”
“We try to tell them that even though they’re in fourth grade, they can make a difference and not let anyone tell them that they aren’t able to do that. That’s why we’re just so proud of what she did and stood up and did what needed to be done,” Sopher said.
Lori M. said, “She was so confident. She didn’t panic. She wasn’t crying, wasn’t nothing, as I was. It’s awful to see your mom like that. And (Lori A.) was like, ‘Mom, I know what to do.’ And she sure did.”
When Lori A. told her mom that she learned how to save someone from choking in school, at first Lori M. thought it was in a class like physical education. After emailing Ray, she learned that the M-TEMS paramedics were involved.
“We’re so fortunate that the schools have been so receptive in letting us come in and teach this class,” Sopher said.
“It makes a difference. It really makes a difference,” Lori M. stated.
Doyle said they’ve been in every elementary school except Claypool so far.
“I started doing Warsaw Schools back in 2012. This year is the first year that we really hit a lot of the schools,” Doyle said. “Mr. Ray has been a leader in the school systems and promoting this for us to come out. He’s great. He felt it was 100 percent needed. We come in and do the fourth-grade classes and sixth-grade classes on teacher’s request. We spend about an hour with the kids and teach them the basics of recognition of sudden cardiac arrest, recognition of somebody choking and what to do in those instances. And what not to do.”
“And some basic safety tips,” Manges added, like to wear bike helmets, safety belts and life jackets.
“We’re just so very proud of her, for what she did, picking up those little bits that we were able to teach her. That she was willing to step up and do it. We told her that she was part of the team and we expect her to do those things,” Sopher said.
He then told Lori A., “You did. We told you that it’s not us that saves grandma, it’s you. And she did. So this is huge.”
Anyone interested in taking a CPR course can contact Doyle at M-TEMS.
Doyle then presented Lori A. and Casper with the coins and a certificate. The coins are given every time a crew goes out on a cardiac arrest call and saves the person. A save is classified as the person walking out of the hospital.
The certificate says that Lori A. is a lifesaver.
“Because it is that important. The recognition, it’s one of those things that she can keep for the rest of her life,” Doyle said.[[In-content Ad]]
Tuesday, M-TEMS presented her with a certificate and a Challenge Coin for her heroism. Her grandmother, Diane Casper, also received a coin.
Multi-Township EMS visits all fourth- and sixth-grade classes in the Warsaw Community Schools Corp. by teacher request. The paramedics teach hands-only CPR, the Heimlich maneuver and other basic safety tips, according to paramedic Darrell Sopher.
In December, before WCS went on Christmas break, Sopher and his partner, Cody Manges, taught Lori A. and the rest of her class the safety tips. She said it was hard to remember all that she learned, but it was easy and fun.
This past Sunday, Casper was in her room eating a patty melt, but a piece of the meat didn’t go all the way down. She couldn’t breathe in or out. She ran down the hall to her daughter’s (Lori M. Davila) room for help.
“Her lips were blue when she came into my room. Her face was complete white,” Lori M. said.
Lori M. panicked. She took her mother into her arms and tried to squeeze the lodged food out of her. That’s when Lori A. pushed her mom’s arm out of the way and said she knew what to do.
Lori A. performed the CPR that she learned at school on her grandmother. Casper belched and air was able to come up so she was able to breathe again.
“I was pretty much out of it at the time. I was barely conscious,” Casper recalled. “Lori (M.) said a piece of meat came up and I guess our dog ate it.”
Once her grandmother was OK, Lori A. recalled, “I was glad it was over.” She told her grandmother to drink some water.
“I didn’t want to drink or nothing,” Casper said. “She said she was going to put me on baby food.”
Lori M. said she didn’t realize until the next day how bad the situation could have been if it wasn’t for her daughter.
“You were shaking like a leaf,” Casper told Lori M. “This one here (Lori A.) just went about her business. All in a day’s work.”
“I’m so glad you taught that class. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here,” Casper said to Sopher and Manges.
“We all are,” Lori M. said.
Casper said if they had waited for an ambulance, she wouldn’t be here today.
After the incident, Lori M. emailed Washington Principal Tom Ray thanking him for the opportunity for students to learn CPR. Ray forwarded the email to M-TEMS Operations Division Chief Tony Doyle, who then shared it with Sopher and Manges.
“We try to impress upon the kids, in the process of teaching the class, that there’s a good chance if they ever have to use this it would be for a family member,” Sopher said. “We actually utilized the Christmas time that was coming up that it could be grandma or grandpa in our scenario. We told them that it’s (them) who are saving the lives, it’s not us in the ambulance that do it. It’s the early recognition of a cardiac arrest. The early use of CPR, or the ability to step in.”
“We try to tell them that even though they’re in fourth grade, they can make a difference and not let anyone tell them that they aren’t able to do that. That’s why we’re just so proud of what she did and stood up and did what needed to be done,” Sopher said.
Lori M. said, “She was so confident. She didn’t panic. She wasn’t crying, wasn’t nothing, as I was. It’s awful to see your mom like that. And (Lori A.) was like, ‘Mom, I know what to do.’ And she sure did.”
When Lori A. told her mom that she learned how to save someone from choking in school, at first Lori M. thought it was in a class like physical education. After emailing Ray, she learned that the M-TEMS paramedics were involved.
“We’re so fortunate that the schools have been so receptive in letting us come in and teach this class,” Sopher said.
“It makes a difference. It really makes a difference,” Lori M. stated.
Doyle said they’ve been in every elementary school except Claypool so far.
“I started doing Warsaw Schools back in 2012. This year is the first year that we really hit a lot of the schools,” Doyle said. “Mr. Ray has been a leader in the school systems and promoting this for us to come out. He’s great. He felt it was 100 percent needed. We come in and do the fourth-grade classes and sixth-grade classes on teacher’s request. We spend about an hour with the kids and teach them the basics of recognition of sudden cardiac arrest, recognition of somebody choking and what to do in those instances. And what not to do.”
“And some basic safety tips,” Manges added, like to wear bike helmets, safety belts and life jackets.
“We’re just so very proud of her, for what she did, picking up those little bits that we were able to teach her. That she was willing to step up and do it. We told her that she was part of the team and we expect her to do those things,” Sopher said.
He then told Lori A., “You did. We told you that it’s not us that saves grandma, it’s you. And she did. So this is huge.”
Anyone interested in taking a CPR course can contact Doyle at M-TEMS.
Doyle then presented Lori A. and Casper with the coins and a certificate. The coins are given every time a crew goes out on a cardiac arrest call and saves the person. A save is classified as the person walking out of the hospital.
The certificate says that Lori A. is a lifesaver.
“Because it is that important. The recognition, it’s one of those things that she can keep for the rest of her life,” Doyle said.[[In-content Ad]]
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