Last summer, Kristen White, an analyst in IT, found herself in the office despite typically working from home. As usual, across the partition worked Ros Levine, a work friend of many years so there was nothing particularly different about that morning…
Until that afternoon, when Ros ate a piece of candy and suddenly began to choke. Kristen noticed Ros leaning over and thought she was sick, but suddenly Ros was holding her throat, indicating she couldn’t breathe, and Kristen realized the seriousness of the situation.
Simultaneously the women sprung to action. They moved towards each other and Kristen swiftly began the Heimlich maneuver. Although it seemed longer, only moments went by before the candy was dislodged from her throat and Ros was breathing again. Amazingly enough Kristen, who is a Cub Scout Leader, had attended a first aid course just three days before, where she learned how to perform the Heimlich maneuver.
Since the incident, Kristen and Ros have formed a close bond in and out of work. “She was meant to be there that day and I’m so grateful she was,” says Ros. “She’s a great person, full of life and a wonderful person to know.” Words and sentiments shared by Kristen who says, “If you could ever help a person or save a life, there would never be anyone more grateful or kind than Ros. She is a great person and a close friend!”