GORHAM, N.Y. — A teacher’s aide at Marcus Whitman High School is being celebrated for her quick thinking that saved a student’s life a few months ago.

Wendy Boyer was in the cafeteria when she noticed a student choking on a piece of food. She immediately began performing the Heimlich maneuver and was able to dislodge the food from the student’s throat.

“Any kind of education you can get as far as choking, CPR, aid, it may come, something you need. I know it’s scary, people are like, ‘I don’t know if I can do that.’ But just think, it could be your family, it could be someone you care about,” Boyer said during a special ceremony at the school where she was given an award for her actions.

The student, who is in Boyer’s classroom and sees her every day, is doing just fine thanks to her quick action and that of the other adults in the cafeteria.

Boyer hopes her story will inspire others to take the time to learn life-saving measures like the Heimlich maneuver and CPR.

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