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"Grey's Anatomy":
it is the story that involved an eight-year-old boy who was about to choke for a bite of snack that went sideways, at school, and his brave teacher, who did not know the unblocking maneuver, but that in those excited moments she remembered having seen her practice in the well-known television series, trying to put it into practice and saving the life of the little one.
Today that teacher was rewarded for her gesture in Foligno and on this occasion she wanted to launch an appeal: "We make it compulsory for all life-saving courses".
The protagonist of the story is Flavia Napolitano, a teacher in a primary school in Perugia, where the child was in danger of suffocating last May.
This morning in Foligno the association "Amici del cuore Valle Umbra" wanted to reserve an award ceremony for her, giving her the "Knight of the heart 2022" plaque.
"I was doing a substitution - said the teacher - and I was in a class not mine, when at a certain point I saw a child practically turn blue in the face. I immediately understood that he was choking. I screamed for help and at the same time I rushed on the baby, I took it and put it on my legs. It was at that moment - the teacher pointed out - that I was reminded of a scene from the television series where Dr. Owen Hunt, played by actor Kevin Mckidd,
"Fortunately - explained the teacher - that memory worked, to the point that the child expelled the morsel from his throat and immediately recovered by returning to breathe".
In remembering those moments, the teacher is still moved: "Thinking about it, tears still fall today, I always remember those moments in which I held the child and gave him rather strong blows between the shoulder blades".
"The child was then taken to hospital - Flavia said again - for further checks. In the meantime I have developed a great friendship with her parents".
"The appeal I want to make today is to make compulsory for all courses that can save people's lives, such as, in fact,
The importance of the theme was also highlighted by the president of Amici del cuore, Paolo Paolucci, by the city councilor Agostino Cetorelli and by the instructor for the use of defibrillators Dario Berti, who rewarded the teacher.
"The coldness and a bit of luck this time saved the life of a child, but it is only an adequate preparation that allows you to intervene with the right technique", concluded the teacher.