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NEED TO KNOW
- A fifth-grade teacher leaped into action after noticing a student was choking while eating a snack during class on Dec. 17
- Alexis Simon performed the Heimlich maneuver on the student, named Xavion, until he spit out the piece of food
- Simon said she did what she hoped others would do for her child, while Xavion considers her a hero
An Ohio teacher is being praised for her actions after saving one of her students who started choking during class earlier this month.
Xavion, a fifth grade student at Frank Jacinto Elementary School, was having a “routine snack” on Wednesday, Dec. 17, when he “suddenly started coughing,” according to a news release on social media from Lorain City Schools.
The boy, who’d been snacking on an orange, then “raised his hand, and grabbed his throat.”
Some students thought he was joking.
However his teacher, Alexis Simon, “immediately” recognized what was happening when she saw Xavion give her the choking sign.
“Thank goodness I had been a coach in the district for several years and had first-aid training,” Simon said, according to Cleveland.com.
Simon performed the Heimlich maneuver on the child, Lorain City Schools said.
“She came in and picked me up and squeezed my, like right here,” Xavion said, pointing to his abdomen, according to the school district.
Soon, the piece of food became dislodged and Xavion spit it out. “I was just gasping air,” he recalled, adding, “I never felt that before.”
Simon stayed with him until he could breathe again, according to Lorain City Schools.
Two days later, on the last day of school before winter break, Simon received the school district’s “Caught Being Great” recognition.
Principal Christine Miller said it was easy to honor Simon’s heroics, according to Cleveland.com. She felt it is important to spotlight individuals who step in to help others without hesitation.
But Simon said she did not feel she deserved the honor. “I just did what I would hope somebody would do for my own,” she explained. “He was choking and we needed to save him.”
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Still, Simon said she does “appreciate” the honor she received from the school district. “So, thank you!” she concluded.
Meanwhile, Xavion is grateful for this teacher. “She’s my superhero,” he told Lorain City Schools.