Jennifer (Dipple) Craig doesn’t see herself as a hero, but it’s a safe bet the little boy she saved on Monday and his family would disagree.
The 1997 Oxford High School graduate, who’s now a student teacher at Brandon Fletcher Intermediate School in Ortonville, saved fifth-grader Aldair Hernandez, 11, from choking on the spring from a mechanical pencil.
‘He came up to me and said, ‘Mrs. Craig, I’m choking.? At first, I thought if he’s choking how’s he talking,? she said. ‘I could tell he was in distress, so I kind of rubbed his back a little bit. Then I realized that he really couldn’t breathe anymore, so I had to give him the Heimlich maneuver.?
Fortunately, the spring popped right out of Hernandez? throat into his hands.
‘It only took three seconds,? she said.
Ironically, Craig, who now lives in Lapeer, just finished a First Aid/CPR class two weeks ago, part of which dealt with the Heimlich maneuver. ‘It’s required to be a certified teacher,? she said.
In the end, Craig, who will graduate from the University of Michigan-Flint in May with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, is just glad she was able to help and really doesn’t want any special recognition.
‘I guess I’m just kind of embarrassed because everyone’s making such a big deal about it,? she said. ‘You do what you have to do.?