Safe Sitters are saving lives! Have you used the skills you learned in your Safe Sitter® class because of a threat to life or handled a dangerous situation? If so, you might be a Safe Sitter® Hero. Unless you are at least 13 years old, please ask your parent/guardian to contact us. Congratulations to our Safe Sitter® Heroes.
Because Emily started one morning in a Safe Sitter® class, the evening didn't end in tragedy.
Emily, 11, took Safe Sitter® at her local hospital Florida so she could safely care for her 3-year-old brother. Little did she know that, later that same evening, it was her 5-year-old cousin, Riley, who would need help.
Emily was at her aunt's house along with her grandmother and Riley, who was in her bedroom watching TV. As Emily, her aunt, and her grandmother were visiting in another room, Riley came running out of her bedroom. Emily knew immediately that her cousin, who was holding her throat and trying to cough, was in distress.
"She couldn't talk and I could tell that she couldn't breathe," said Emily. "I knew that she was choking but didn't know what she was choking on."
Not only did Emily know what to do, she also knew what not to do, and this prevented the situation from potentially becoming much worse. "My aunt was about to smack Riley on the back when I told her not to as that could make the item go further down into her airway making it harder to cough the item back up," Emily said.
After reassuring Riley that she was going to be alright, Emily knelt down on the floor behind her younger cousin and confidently did three abdominal thrusts.
"Because I took Safe Sitter®, I knew what I was doing. I thought, 'I can't believe she is really choking!' I had known that you do the Heimlich Maneuver if someone is choking, but I really didn't know how to do it correctly until I learned it earlier that day in Safe Sitter®," Emily said.
Emily's abdominal thrusts worked and the culprit, a hair barrette, flew out of Riley's mouth causing her to vomit on the floor.
Emily credits Safe Sitter® with giving her the knowledge and confidence to save a life-and do something that her adult relatives admitted they didn't know how to do.
"Safe Sitter® not only taught me what to do but helped me remain calm," she said. "My aunt said that if I hadn't been there, she wouldn't have known what to do."
Emily's aunt texted her sister, Emily's mother, shortly after the incident. Emily's mother, who is a nurse, said, "I am so proud of how well Emily was able to think on her feet. My sister now promotes Safe Sitter® to everyone!"
