A Happy Birthday
A Happy Birthday
Vinson, a natural gas supervisor for Ameren Illinois, and his family had just placed their drink orders at a steakhouse in St. Louis when he noticed a woman and her husband were in distress.
“I heard the hustle and bustle, and when I glanced over to their table, I saw the husband giving his wife the Heimlich maneuver,” Vinson said. “I asked my nephew, who was sitting next to me in the booth, to move out of the booth and then I sprinted into action.”
Although her husband continued performing the Heimlich, the woman’s airway remained blocked. “I asked if I could help,” said Vinson. “She looked at me, and the husband tried the Heimlich one more time, and then she pointed to me. I asked if she could breathe, and when she didn’t respond, I knew she still was choking.”
Vinson’s first aid training at Ameren Illinois taught him that if a Heimlich was unsuccessful, responders should attempt back blows. He explained what he was going to do, and the woman turned and braced herself.
“When she leaned over, I asked if she was ready, and she nodded, yes,” said Vinson. “I could tell after the second one that the food might have dislodged a little bit, but I gave her a third one just in case. The third one thankfully worked.”
Finally able to breathe, the woman’s first action was to emotionally thank Vinson for his heroics, joining the thanks of her husband and all those who witnessed his actions. Vinson’s nephew added, “Man, what can’t you do?” “Which made me feel good,” said Vinson.
Vinson credits his 12 years of CPR and first aid training skills at Ameren Illinois for enabling his instincts to take over. In fact, Vinson says he had just completed a refresher training class a few months earlier.
“I was aware of what to do and prepared for this type of situation,” said Vinson, who works at the utility’s Belleville Operating Center. “I just saw a person in need and another person who was trying to administer the Heimlich maneuver that wasn’t working. It was either I am going to do something, or this isn’t going to end the way anyone wants it to end. My instinct was to get up and help if I could.”
After Vinson and his family finished dinner, they celebrated with dessert. “I am always going to have dessert, and the restaurant gave it to me on the house,” Vinson says. “It was chocolate cake with ice cream and Cool Whip on the top. It was a victorious dessert and a birthday celebration that I will never forget.”