"Calm and in Control"
June 1, 2017
Michael A. Villafranco
When Tammy Dieffenbach brought her infant child to a CPR class held at her workplace, she didn’t know that she would be using these skills on her daughter merely three weeks later. But at the end of May, she contacted her instructor, Paul Sokolowski, thanking him for sharing his knowledge in such a memorable way. This is her story.
Good afternoon Tammy, thank you for taking the time to speak with me.
I’m happy to.
What is your daughter’s name?
Harbor
Can you tell me a bit about what happened?
I was sitting in my car, waiting for another one of my children to be released from school, when I notice my six-month old choking. I immediately checked that the scene was safe, told my kids not to move, and picked up my cell phone so I’d be ready to call 911. I went and opened the door, unbuckled Harbor, and turned her upside down. It turns out her older brother had given her a little cardboard box to play with. She gummed off a piece of it, which then became a round mass that got lodged in her throat.
What was the first sign that something was wrong?
We actually have a baby mirror attached to our rearview, which makes it easy to see her. I looked in the mirror and noticed she was turning blue. The color change was very visible. I knew I needed to take action immediately.
Trying to rescue a choking infant must have been terrifying. Was there ever a moment where you had to question what you were doing, or did everything seem to happen naturally?
Honestly, I knew what to do every step of the way. Paul’s voice came into my head as I turned Harbor over and began to thrust*. He explained everything in a way where I remained calm and in control of the situation. I was really lucky, especially since I had just taken the course.
When did you know you were successful?
When I saw she was choking, I knew I had to apply back thrusts*. On the forth hard whack, she vomited and the cardboard came out. She had turned purple by this point, but her color quickly returned… first red, then pink, then her normal pale sweet soft color.
What part of your training do you feel best contributed to your success?
Repeated practice; we did the routine over and over again. Also Paul used everyday language. It made it easy to remember every single step, such as telling everyone around me their roles.
How are you and your family now?
Great! We are all wonderful!
Thank you so much for your time and answers, I greatly appreciate it!
Of course!
*The correct name for this technique is the back blow.
Tammy was ready to respond to her infant’s choking at a moment’s notice. She knew what to do, remained calm, and saved her daughter’s life. Wonderful work Tammy!
Michael Villafranco is the Director of Marketing at Emergency Medical Consultants, Inc., which provides quality medical training programs across the nation. He loves his family and friends, all forms of media and entertainment, and is a patron of the arts. Visit MichaelVillafranco.com and MedicalTraining.cc to learn more!
