Grade 6 student saves choking classmate
A lesson learned at school saved a life Thursday.
“This could have ended really badly,” said Mary Elizabeth Rousseau, a Grade 6 teacher at École Ste-Thérèse.
Her student, Tony Elsoury, was choking on his pasta during lunch hour.
“So I get up to ask the teacher if I can use the bathroom, and before I even found the teacher, I found I couldn't breathe,” said Elsoury.
After a few futile attempts to swallow, panic started to set in.
“I ran into the class because I remembered that our teacher taught us first aid, so we should know this,” he explained.
Elsoury turned around and gestured to the seven others in the classroom at the time.
“We didn't know if he was really choking or just joking around but we realized he was choking when his face started turning red and there was spit coming down his mouth,” said classmate Zane Bassam, who jumped into action.
“My friend (Zane) told me to go run and get a teacher, so immediately went to go run and get a teacher,” said classmate Dominic Vitale.
Bassam took it upon himself to help his friend by performing first aid.
“I kind of panicked, but I just rushed straight ahead because I didn't want it to get any worse, so first I started by doing five back blows,” Bassam explained.
When that didn’t work, he turned to the Heimlich Maneuver.
“It was successful and then he started throwing up,” said Bassam.
Elsoury was fine and went home for the rest of the day, thankful his teacher Mme. Rousseau taught the class first aid.
“I feel like if she didn't teach us, this I could have been a lot worse,” Elsoury said.
When she arrived, relief and pride overwhelmed Mme. Rousseau, “Incredibly happy Tony was okay, but also incredibly proud of my students for jumping into action, for putting into place the training they had learned.”
Mme. Rousseau is certified through the Red Cross babysitting program and taught her Grade 6s, “So that they can be confident and competent with basic first aid and know what to do in a situation like this.”
Olivia Drouillard, an instructor at Second Chance CPR, advises calling 911 and making some noise if you find yourself alone in a choking situation. Unlock your door or go outside where others may be able to help.
She said some other things could help as well, “You're either going to fall on the top of a table, on a chair, or use an inanimate object like a water bottle and perform self-performed j-thrusts.”
For his heroic gesture, Bassam has been nominated for a Red Cross Rescuers Award.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From AI running wild to collapsing ecosystems, government report outlines future disruptions
From collapsing ecosystems to artificial intelligence running wild, a new Canadian government report outlines 35 disruptions that could rattle the country in the coming years.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
opinion Tom Mulcair: With Trudeau spiralling, Mark Carney waits in the wings
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Air turbulence: When can it become dangerous?
Flight turbulence like that encountered by a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday is extremely common, but there's one aspect of severe turbulence an aviation expert says can lead to serious injury.
Toronto Blue Jays fan struck by 110 m.p.h foul ball offered tickets, signed baseball by team
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
OPP continues to investigate boat collision north of Kingston, Ont. that left 3 people dead
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
Matthew Perry's death is being investigated over ketamine level found in actor's blood, reports say
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
Police in Ontario say suspects charged in armed home invasion near Toronto part of 'larger criminal network'
Police in Ontario say a group of suspects charged in an armed home invasion north of Toronto last year were driving a vehicle stolen in a carjacking in Calgary just one month earlier.
Orphan orca's extended family spotted off northeast side of Vancouver Island
Members of a killer whale pod related to an orphan orca calf that escaped a remote British Columbia tidal lagoon last month have been spotted off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.