DELTON, Mich. — It’s a reminder of how everybody in a small town tries to look out for one another.
“Had I not been here, I don't know that anybody else had the knowledge to do it, or even the courage,” said Bridget Kuhlman. “I mean, I was scared at first because you just automatically, your adrenaline starts going and you try to remember all the all the steps, but doing something is better than nothing.”
This past Saturday, Kuhlman and her husband found themselves at Sajo’s Pizza in Delton.
“My husband and I were working out in the yard,” said Kuhlman. “We decided we were hungry.”
A few minutes into their meal though, they heard a woman at the table behind them in distress. Kuhlman, a registered medical assistant at Family Tree Medical Associates in Hastings, went over to help.
“I asked her if she was choking,” said Kuhlman. "She waved her hand, 'Yes.' I said, ‘Okay, I'm going to do the Heimlich on you, is that okay?’ I just started doing the Heimlich and once I felt like I wasn't making much of an effort at first, I hollered for somebody to call 911 and just kept doing the Heimlich on her and then eventually she coughed it up.”
Joe Barker owns the restaurant, and heard it all unfold from the kitchen.
“She was in pretty bad distress, she was starting to turn purple,” said Barker.
Barker says the woman that choked is a longtime customer who grew up in the area. She came to Sajo’s that night to enjoy a final meal before she moved to a senior living facility in Calhoun County. He’s grateful the situation turned out the way it did.
“It was just a fortunate situation that she [Bridget] would happen to be here,” said Barker.
Kuhlman feels the same way. She hopes the story encourages people to get certified in CPR and first aid.
"Saving a life is a huge thing,” said Kuhlman. “Life is a blessing.”
To find CPR/AED classes in West Michigan, click here.
