Farmington Woman Thanks Officers Who Saved Her Life

FARMINGTON (WWJ) - A Farmington woman is publicly thanking first responders for saving her life when she began choking in her home.

Sandra Davidson-McVittie, 59, was home alone when it happened, but she spotted some workers outside.

"I ran outside, hitting my back, trying to tell them to call 911," Davidson-McVittie told WWJ Newsradio 950's Beth Fisher.

"The first person sent me to someone else ... again I'm trying to say '911,'" she said, "and after that, I passed out and I didn't know what happened until I got to the hospital."

Davidson-McVittie says she would have died if  Farmington Public Safety officers William Wood and Mark Keely hadn't arrived in only two minutes.

"Kudos to the public safety officers and the EMS techs because they were the ones that actually saved me," she said. "They did chest compressions and they gave me oxygen."

U.S. health officials say if you find yourself alone while you are choking on something, you can perform the Heimlich maneuver on yourself:

First, make a fist and place the thumb below your rib cage and above your navel. Then, grasp your fist with your other hand. Press it into the area with a quick upward movement.

You can also lean over a table edge, chair, or railing. Quickly thrust your upper belly area (upper abdomen) against the edge. If you need to, you should repeat this motion until the object blocking the airway is dislodged.