Friends of Vocational Technical & Agricultural Education,
A student at Nashoba Valley Technical High School, where she’s taken part in the school’s Health Assisting program, put a life-saving lesson to good use when she stepped in to aid a person choking.
We are most proud and thankful to Emily Durkin.
David
Teen snaps into action, uses Heimlich Maneuver training to save choking resident at assisted living facility in Chelmsford
BY OLIVIA MICHAEL JANUARY 4, 2024
A high school student put a life-saving lesson to good use when she stepped in to aid a person choking in Chelmsford.
Emily Durkin, 18, is a student at Nashoba Valley Technical High School, where she’s taken part in the school’s Health Assisting program.
And after working with a special training mannequin, she’s also familiar with the Heimlich Maneuver, a technique reserved for choking emergencies that can clear a blocked airway in a pinch.
It’s a useful skill that the teenager said she never imagined she’d be putting into use so soon – at the assisted living facility where she works part-time.
“She jumped into action quicker than – our nurses were on their way, and she was already on scene, just doing a great job,” said Barry Hillerstrom, the executive director of Benchmark Senior Living at Chelmsford Crossings.
Durkin said she leapt into action as soon as she was alerted to a resident choking nearby.
“One resident asked me to check on another resident and he was choking,” Durkin explained.
Her training took over. The 18-year-old said it only took a minute, but the situation felt surreal.
“I just kind of did what I was taught to do and afterwards, I felt the adrenaline,” she added.
“I would absolutely say it made a difference – it certainly did to that resident, but all the other residents understood that they were in good hands,” Hillerstrom said. “The need arised and she was there.”
As for the resident who choked, officials told 7NEWS the man who Durkin assisted was doing fine.
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David J. Ferreira
MAVA Communications Coordinator
DavidFerreira
