1/3/2026 email received
Happy New Year!
I just wanted to thank you for your training. I had to use my Heimlich Maneuver today at a restaurant to help an older lady breathe again. I was the only person in the restaurant with CPR and First Aid training. I want to thank you again for teaching me valuable skills.
With love,
Margarita
I just truly LOVE all of my students. I reached out to Margarita after receiving this email for 2 reasons: 1) to get more information and 2) to check in to see how she was doing.
So, some context – Margarita and her family were enjoying an outing to a sushi restaurant that they had not tried before. Margarita noticed a commotion around a woman who was choking and asked if she could help. She stepped in and was able to do the abdominal thrusts that she was taught in class and was able to relieve the obstruction and restore breathing. YAY! A CPR win!
While I was talking to Margarita on the phone, I could hear something in her voice that made me ask if she was ok. The short answer was yes, but she said it had been a process. She had talked about the experience with her husband over the last couple of days and it seemed to be enough for her to assimilate her feelings. I must make a note here. Helping someone with your training is AMAZING! Amazing for the person helped and it can be an amazing feeling that you were able to help a person in need. It can also put a strain on the person helping. That stain is not always physical. Sometimes it is emotional. We really must check in with our Good Samaritans as well as our First Responders.
Thank you, Margarita, for putting your skills to use and helping that lady to breathe again!
You are an amazing Good Samaritan!
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