Heroes come in all forms. Teachers are often called heroes because of the wonderful work they do. One special teacher is a hero to me because of what she did for my son.

When I picked my son Todd up from school on Monday, April 6, I got a shock.

“I had to do the Heimlich on him because he got choked on a piece of hard candy,” said Doris Williams, a teacher at Heritage Christian Academy who was watching kids in the after-school program.

Mrs. Williams was very calm while relaying what had happened: Todd, 6, had started gagging after becoming choked on a piece of candy one of his friends had given him. She took him into the bathroom and began performing the Heimlich maneuver on him.

“That candy came flying out and hit the floor and broke into pieces,” Todd, who was obviously fine, added.

I’m sure my mouth was hanging open as they told the story. I know that the gravity of what happened didn’t really sink in at that time. I thanked Mrs. Williams for what she’d done and we left.

On our way down the hall it began to hit me and I grabbed Todd’s hand, pulling him toward me for a hug.

When we got outside to our vehicle, it hit me like a ton of bricks as I got in and gave in to the tremendous emotion of that moment. As I began driving out of the parking lot the tears started streaming down my face.

Todd, of course, asked what was wrong. I told him my tears were “happy tears” because I was so relieved that he was okay.

“I sure am glad I didn’t die, Mama,” Todd said. “I was afraid I would.”

The tears came harder and I pulled off into a parking lot.

We sat there for a few minutes, sharing our thoughts on what had happened and then together praying a prayer of thanks for Mrs. Williams and her knowledge of what to do in that situation.

We recovered and continued — with Todd even insisting on attending a birthday party that evening. He told a few people at the party, “I almost died at school today,” which prompted me to follow him around to tell the entire story.

The incident was on his mind quite a bit after Monday, but by Easter happy thoughts of eggs, bunnies and the joy of the holiday took its place.

Choking is one of the most common life-threatening occurrences in the United States, with thousands of people experiencing choking every year. In 2001, more than 17,000 children ages 14 years or younger were treated for choking episodes in U.S. emergency departments, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). About 60 percent of these episodes were related to food items. The abdominal thrusts commonly known as the Heimlich maneuver are highly recommended for choking victims. The Heimlich maneuver is probably the most-used emergency technique to prevent suffocation when someone’s airway is obstructed.

In May 2005, two young girls in New York City died after choking on hard candy. The girls, ages 4 and 5, choked on jumbo mint balls, round peppermint candies measuring a little more than three-quarters of an inch in diameter, according to www.fda.gov. There’s untold stories of deaths related to choking that occur regularly.

When I told a friend of mine (who works at Heritage) that evening about what happened to Todd, she told me that the staff of Heritage had CPR training at the first of the school year. Mrs. Williams had told the others about having to perform the Heimlich maneuver on someone before.

I’m so grateful that she had the training.

Learning the Heimlich maneuver isn’t a difficult process and is included when obtaining CPR certification. It doesn’t take long to obtain CPR certification. A few years ago, I took a course and obtained my certification. It has since lapsed, but I plan to renew it in the near future.

The importance of knowing what to do in an emergency cannot be overstated. Anything can happen, no matter how careful we are as parents, teachers and caregivers. I’d like to encourage everyone who cares for a child to consider learning the Heimlich maneuver and/or CPR.

You never know when you might need it. You never know when you might become someone’s hero.

Doris Williams is and always will be my hero.

Marisa Anders is General Manager and Editor for the Claiborne Progress. E-mail her at cpeditor@claiborneprogress.net.