JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department (JFRD) honored two seventh graders who saved a janitor's life after they found her choking, using the Heimlich maneuver they learned on social media.
The heroic act happened in the cafeteria at Cornerstone Classical Academy.
Sadie Salvador and Silas Olson knew something was wrong when they saw Magda Nieto, a facility team member at Cornerstone Classical Academy, signaling for help during lunch on Thursday, Dec. 5. Based on seeing videos on social media about how to perform the Heimlich maneuver, the two students did what they could to help Nieto.
“I was saying like 'get help, get help' and then I realized we needed to do something, and we starting patting on her back and performing the Heimlich," said Salvador.
With the surveillance camera footage going viral on Facebook, JFRD took notice. To show their appreciation, JFRD honored the two students at Cornerstone Classical Academy Tuesday morning.
Nieto says they saved her life.
“I’m dying," said Nieto. "I’m dying because I couldn’t breathe. It was less than ten seconds I couldn’t breathe. I thought I was going to die."
Nieto said truly believes God performed a miracle by having Salvador and Olson in the right place at the right time. The school also voiced their appreciation in a Facebook post.
"We are so thankful they were both there at the right time to intervene," the school said in the post.
JFRD gave the two students the Award of Merit for their action in saving Nieto's life.