Parenting a baby is one of the most difficult tasks in the world. They’re so delicate and so small. And due to their inability to communicate properly, everything seems instantly daunting. That’s why most parents usually tend to remain in a perpetual state of anxiety even when nothing happens. So, you can imagine what runs through their minds when something really goes wrong.
According to Global News, Ana Graham was enjoying a Friday at Palm Beach Gardens with her one-year-old daughter, Lucia Graham. However, things looked bleak when Lucia started choking on a chicken nugget. Ana said,
“She looked at me with her eyes wide open. She tried to do something with her mouth — she couldn’t cough, couldn’t do anything.”
Seeing Lucia choke, Ana took her out of her stroller and tried a technique taught by her pediatrician to dislodge the food. However, it doesn’t work and she calls for help, thereby drawing the attention of bystanders and city police officers Robert Ayala and Rafael Guadalupe.
Those were desperate times and everyone around was panicking. But Officer Ayala calmly stepped in and took matters into his own hands. Ana described those tense moments from her perspective saying,
“Officer Ayala stepped in, I handed her to him. He sat down and so quickly started performing what he needed to do to make sure she was OK.”
Officer Ayala grabbed the baby and turned her face down, striking her on the back. However, as that didn’t help, he struck her harder and the nugget popped out. The strength of the blow and Ayala’s training made all the difference. While Ana was doing it right, as a mother, she probably couldn’t strike Lucia hard enough. But Ayala could and that’s why Lucia survived.
You can watch the hair-raising video here:
Dramatic surveillance video shows Florida police rushing to aid a baby choking on a chicken nugget. The heroic officers were honored for their quick action, saving the baby's life. https://t.co/hP5m8jiczq pic.twitter.com/OTlN3UwHR4
— ABC News (@ABC) August 6, 2018
Netizens lauded Officer Ayala’s heroics because he saved a life and that’s certainly a big deal.
1. True that.
Those are the police videos we miss seeing. Good job to those public servants.
— Matt Flanagan (@kb6jra) August 6, 2018
2. Their presence of mind is laud-worthy.
Great police work👍🇺🇸
— Patrick Craig🇺🇸 (@plc1790) August 6, 2018
3. They’ll always be around when they’re needed.
So nice to see good policemen helping out!
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏— Good Golly Ms Molly (@GdGollyMsMolly) August 6, 2018
4. Exactly!
That Florida police officer is a hero in my eyes. He knew what he was doing and because of that he saved the babies life…
— Lynn Canesso (@LynnCanesso) August 6, 2018
5. Everyone must learn those life-saving techniques.
Thank goodness, those lifesaving techniques are taken for granted til they are needed! Well done !!
— LM Saldaña (@LMSaldana) August 6, 2018
Along with the netizens, Ana was thankful for the officers for saving her daughter’s life and she suggested every parent to learn CPR properly so that they can do the needful when similar situations arise. In addition to that, both Ayala and Guadalupe’s efforts were recognised as they were honoured by the Palm Beach Gardens council.