In an act quick thinking and bravery, a Loyola University Medical Center cafeteria cashier stepped in to save the life of a choking doctor. Dr. Joan Dimopoulos, an emergency room physician, was enjoying her lunch break when a chicken sandwich obstructed her airway, prompting Keztly Angel, a cashier at the hospital, to perform the Heimlich maneuver.
As reported by WGN-TV, Dr. Dimopoulos was unable to breathe and gestured the universal choking sign, a moment that saw Angel spring into action. "I’m just so grateful that you were there, and that you had the awareness and the knowledge and the courage to act," Dr. Dimopoulos expressed during a reunion ceremony where she presented Angel with flowers.
During that same event, as CBS News Chicago details, Angel humbly reflected on her life-saving intervention. "I'm glad I was able to react quickly and be able to help her," she said. Notably, the rescue technique was something Angel had retained from her high school health class at Proviso East High School. Despite never having used it before, the memory of that lesson proved crucial.
Observing the incident, Angel noticed Dr. Dimopoulos in distress and took decisive action. "I made sure I got out of my seat and started doing something, because I seen everybody else was just looking at her," Angel recounted, illustrating a situational awareness that saved a life. Meanwhile, Dr. Dimopoulos advocated the importance of learning the Heimlich maneuver, stating in a statement obtained by CBS News Chicago, "Her knowledge of knowing what to do and then the courage to really do it for somebody that you don't know, and that she did that for me, and I just want to tell her thank you."
Through a simple but crucial act of applying a safety procedure, Keztly Angel, a year into her tenure as a cafeteria cashier, has demonstrated the profound difference an individual can make. This event underscores the value of first-aid knowledge and the potential each person has to be a lifesaver in their community.
