GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — East Kentwood High School senior Natalie May saved a man’s life this past Tuesday by performing the Heimlich maneuver at Brann’s Steakhouse and Grille in Grand Rapids.
“It’s kind of like a blackout for me. It happened super fast,” May said.
May just recently became CPR certified, after learning how to do the Heimlich on a mannequin as part of the health curriculum at East Kentwood last week.
May is also a waitress at Brann’s Steakhouse and Grille. So, while she was cleaning a table at work, May heard a woman yell out that her husband was choking.
“I didn't even think about it because there was no time to think," May said. "So, I just went ahead and started to do it.”
May performed the Heimlich, without hesitation, relying on what she learned at East Kentwood. “It’s different than in person, actually, because the mannequin is like, half of a body," May said. "So, like, you don't really get the whole feeling or sensation of a real person.”
“This guy was way, way bigger than her. And the lady at the table, his wife, couldn't even get her arms around to be able to do the Heimlich,” said Kristina Thrash, May's co-worker who saw everything.
Thrash talked to the customer afterward. “He was just saying, just the way she was putting her thumbs right in under to, like, push it up and out… that's what saved his life," Thrash said. "She was doing it just right.”
May never thought she’d have to perform the Heimlich on anything other than a mannequin. But one week after learning it, she saved a life.
“It’s just very emotional, I guess… just shocking to me that I was able to do that for someone, especially someone 10 times bigger than me," May said.
According to an article from the National Library of Medicine, the Heimlich has a success rate of 86.5%.
So if you’re interested in getting CPR certified, so that you’re prepared if you’re ever in May's shoes, click here.
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