11-year-old boys save life of teacher
Published: October 5, 2005
The quick actions of two 11-year-olds recently saved the life of their Highland Upper Elementary School teacher.
Sixth-graders Alex Sutterfield and Christian Lee recognized their teacher Sheila Gruender was choking and could not breathe. Using the Heimlich maneuver, they managed to dislodge the candy blocking her airway.
“I was very proud of the boys for their clear thinking and quick action,” she said. “They handled it a lot better than a lot of adults would have. It shows a lot about their character. They knew I was embarrassed, and they were very sensitive and understanding.”
Gruender’s students were in the midst of a keyboarding practice session just before the school’s 10:30 a.m. recess Sept. 20 when the choking occurred.
“We had a goal set that day for accuracy and words per minute, and if they reached the goal, they earned a piece of candy,” she said. “I had a piece of candy in my mouth while I was monitoring the class, and as I started reminding the class of the goal, somehow the piece of candy became stuck. I was getting no air at all. I tried but was unable to cough.”
Alex, who was sitting at his desk in the front row of the classroom near Gruender, was first to pick up on the fact that his teacher was struggling for breath.
“I noticed she was kind of wheezing,” he said. “I told the class, ‘She’s choking; someone call the office.’”
He got up from his seat and started patting her on the back.
Then, Christian, sitting just a few desks away, jumped in to help.
“Her face was really red, and her lips were turning purple,” he added.
Christian walked behind her, reaching around her waistline to perform the Heimlich maneuver, and on his third attempt, the candy popped out.
Other class members remained riveted in their seats, shocked into inaction. In the brief time it took for the situation to unfold, no one had yet called the office, but office personnel would not have had time to respond if they had been alerted, Gruender said.
For the entire class, it was a lesson that won’t be soon forgotten.
“It goes to show that emergencies can happen anytime, anywhere,” she said. “I know it scared a lot of the students in my room, and I felt bad about that. I tried to turn the situation into a teachable moment for health (last) week. We discussed what to do in other classroom emergencies, and we also reviewed how to handle all of the other possible choking situations.”
Alex, the son of Gregg and Lisa Sutterfield of Highland, and Christian, son of Daniel and Sherry Lee of Pocahontas, recall learning about the Heimlich maneuver originally at home and in health class.
Both have received kudos and were named the superintendent’s Students of the Week for their actions.
“My dad said, ‘I’m so proud of you. Wow, saving someone’s life at 11!’” Christian said.
Alex’s parents, also pleased with their son’s actions, were at first incredulous.
“They just couldn’t believe it at first,” he said.
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