When a parent drops their kid off at school, they want to know that they’ll be safe. Tikiya Stewart of St. Hilary School in California understand this well, and she proved it after perfectly handling a life-threatening incident. Just this week, this quick-thinking teacher saved the life of a choking student.
It happened on what was otherwise a normal day. Tikiya, who is known by Kiki at the school, was on yard duty. Then, suddenly, there was a bit of commotion. It seemed as though a child couldn’t breathe. For a moment, though, Tikiya thought the child was playing.
“Some of the kids, at first I was a little skeptical, I mean kids kid all the time,” Tikiya said. “But then I was like, ‘This is real.'”
Teacher Saved the Life of a Choking Student
As soon as Tikiya realized the little girl was choking, she swooped in to give her the Heimlich Maneuver, recalling the training she’s received for moments exactly like this one. It took a few tries but, eventually, the little girl was able to breathe once more.
Needless to say, parents and fellow staff alike are praising Tikiya for saving the child’s life.
“In the world we live in today — whether it be the wildfires or COVID or school shootings — you have to always be prepared,” the school’s principal, Dr. Marie Bordeleau, said. “I’m always saying that you hope for the best but you’ve got to plan for the worst. And that’s where the training and the emergency preparedness plans are so critical.”
As for how Tikiya is feeling after saving a child’s life, it’s safe to say she couldn’t be more grateful.
“Really, I didn’t think it was a big deal until after the fact,” Tikiya said. “People were like, ‘You saved someone’s life!’ and I think I was probably in shock, myself.”
Watch this life-saving teacher talk more about how she saved a choking student in the video below.
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