The child recalled of her life-saving actions: “I felt pretty calm. I did know what to do”
Credit: KENNEDY NEWS
NEED TO KNOW
- A 9-year-old girl saved her mother from choking thanks to a video she watched on YouTube
- Stephanie Crespo was eating ice cream with frozen strawberry chunks inside when the incident took place
- She had previously told her daughter, Isabella, to “stop watching YouTube”
A mother told her young daughter to “stop watching YouTube.” But when she choked on a piece of fruit one day, her child’s video-watching habits saved her life.
Stephanie Crespo was eating ice cream with frozen strawberry chunks inside when one piece didn’t go down her throat correctly, according to Kennedy News & Media.
“I got up from the couch because I couldn’t breathe, so I was trying to cough it out,” Crespo, 42, said.
Credit: KENNEDY NEWS
Her daughter, Isabella, watched from nearby, and when she realized her mom couldn’t pass the strawberry, she rushed over to her parent and performed the Heimlich maneuver.
“It was extremely scary. I didn’t know how to point it out to my kids that I had something in my throat,” Crespo, who is also mom to a son, Matteo, recalled. “It probably lasted a little over a minute or so, but it felt like an eternity.”
Credit: KENNEDY NEWS
After things calmed down, Crespo was curious how Isabella, 9, knew to perform the Heimlich maneuver. “My first question to Isa was, ‘Where did you learn how to do that? How did you know how to do that? ‘ “
According to Isabella, she learned about the life-saving abdominal thrusts from YouTube. The answer surprised Crespo, because, she said, “I normally tell her to ‘stop watching YouTube.’ “
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“It’s scary to think what would have happened if Isabella hadn’t known what to do and she hadn’t intervened,” Crespo, who works in IT, explained.
“I don’t know what my kids’ reaction would have been if I completely stopped breathing,” she added. “I’m just thankful that that didn’t happen, and Isabella did what she did.”
Credit: KENNEDY NEWS
Looking back at the choking scenario, which Crespo has since shared video of on social media, Isabella recalled, “I felt pretty calm. I did know what to do.”
“I pressed my mom’s belly, helping her to breathe,” continued the 9-year-old. “I saw what to do on social media.”
Crespo added, “She pressed my belly three or four times, and on one of those presses, she pressed so hard that I felt the strawberry moving. Then I was able to breathe a little bit … and as I was coughing, that’s when I felt it, and that’s when I threw it up.”
The mom of two said she is “extremely proud of my daughter — it was something that was unbelievable,” and she is now urging other parents to speak openly to their children about what to do in a choking hazard situation.
“Talk to your kids,” the mother of two pleaded. “Tell them not to panic. Of course, once you’re in that situation, it’s hard not to panic.”
Read the full article here
