An ROP alumni and mother saved her daughter’s life using a life saving maneuver she learned in ROP. Brittany Lovell, a medical assisting alumni, was at her brother-in-law’s house for a summer dinner when Anni, her daughter, came into the room holding her throat and turning blue.
 
“We were all sitting down for dinner and the kids were all in the kitchen eating corndogs,” Brittany said. “My daughter and my nephew apparently were racing to see who could eat more so Anni being so competitive shoved the whole thing in her mouth and when she went to swallow, it was still whole. She began to hold her throat which she usually does when she wants a drink and so I thought that’s what she was doing until she started turning bluish in the face. I quickly ran to her, flipped her around and gave her two hard thrusts to her abdomen and it flew out. She immediately started taking deep breaths and laughing. Let me tell you, it scared me to death but my initial response was to stay calm and save my child’s life. I would not have been able to respond the way I did without the CPR/First Aid training I received from ROP.”
 
According to the New York State Department of Health, at least one child dies from choking on food every five days in the U.S. More than 10,000 children are taken to a hospital emergency room each year for food choking injuries. These statistics are astonishing but true and learning rapid first aid for choking can save a life.
 
“I thank God every day that he blessed me with a teacher like Mrs. Dawson-Walker. She really is amazing and without the training I received from her ROP class, I would have possibly lost my daughter. Thank you for everything!”