An elementary school principal in Clinton Township helped a student who was choking after eight-year-old Piper Irwin swallowed a water bottle cap during class at Miami Elementary earlier this month. Piper said, "It was really painful, in my mouth, really hard to get it out." Principal Dr. Katie Shellabarger, known as "Dr. S," responded to the emergency call and used her training to assist Piper, as reported by WXYZ.
According to FOX 2 Detroit, Principal Shellabarger explained the steps she took, stating, "So I just put my hand over hand, did inward and upward thrusts into her abdomen. About five or six of them. Then reassessed. She was still able to breathe." After several attempts, Piper began coughing and the water bottle cap came loose.
A school principal helped a student named Piper when she began choking. “Piper felt something come up a little bit, so she started coughing, and we encouraged her to continue coughing until it came out,” Shellabarger told ClickOnDetroit. She also told WXYZ, “I would have done it for anybody, and that’s what we’re trained to do in our profession.” Piper returned to school and recovered.
