We can only imagine how it must feel if you are holding your child and suddenly, they have grown limp and lifeless. It must be one of the most frightening moments a parent could ever face when they see their child unable to breathe. You would like to think that you would be cool, calm, and collected during such a time but panic would set in very quickly. It doesn’t matter if you have been specifically trained to handle this type of situation or not, you may not be able to muster the strength to do so at that time.
When an adult is choking, the best thing to do is to use the Heimlich maneuver. Although that may be the case for adults, there is a different technique that is used for children. Not everybody knows how to do that type of maneuver on a child, but Sterling Heights Police Officer Cameron Maciejewski knew just what to do. When the police officer was alerted by the 911 dispatch center of a choking baby, he raced to help. The mother came running outside with the baby to meet him when he arrived.
It wasn’t long before most of the family was out on the front lawn, hoping that the police officer would be able to save the child. She had choked on something and was now unresponsive. The police officer maintained his composure and became a hero that day. He flipped the baby over onto her stomach and gave the proper thrusts to dislodge what was stuck and keeping her from breathing.
When the mother realized that her baby was alive and breathing, she collapsed on the ground and was unable to do anything. The police department realized just how important it was that officer Maciejewski was there that day. They talked about the outcome and how different it would’ve been if he did not do such an outstanding job.
Fortunately, everything was captured on the – him and the heroic rescue has gone viral. The Police Department reported that the 911 call came in about a baby choking and losing consciousness.
“When a baby isn’t breathing, it’s stressful enough, but to arrive on scene and have the entire family run up to him — he knows it’s bad and he’s calming them down while providing medical attention to the infant.”
In the end, the police officer simply said it was part of the job. You can watch it for yourself in the following video: