Schools
Lakewood Teacher Honored For Saving Colleague's Life
Dennison Elementary 4th Grade teacher Mike Hoffmeister performed the Heimlich maneuver, saving the life of another teacher.
LAKEWOOD, CO – A Lakewood teacher was honored by the West Metro Fire Rescue department this week for his actions to help save a fellow teacher who was choking on her food.
On Jan. 17, Dennison Elementary 4th Grade teacher Mike Hoffmeister performed the Heimlich maneuver on his colleague, Ashley Hancock in the teacher's lounge at the school when Hancock was choking on her lunch.
"The only things going through my head were, 'Is this going to come out? Am I gonna make it?'" Hancock told 9NEWS. She said she waved her arms and her fellow teachers gathered around. But Hoffmeister was the one who knew how to perform the maneuver.
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Hoffmeister was recognized this week with a West Metro Citizen Award for his quick thinking that cleared his colleague's airway and saved her life.
"The whole school is very proud of Mr. Hoffmeister," Diana Wilson, JeffCo Public Schools executive director of communication said in an email.
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Congratulations to Mike Hoffmeister, recognized with a West Metro Citizen Award. Mike, a @JeffcoSchoolsCo 4th grade teacher, saved the life of another teacher when she was choking on food during lunch. Mike did the Heimlich Maneuver to clear her airway. pic.twitter.com/bUoI2Ntya6
— WestMetroFire (@WestMetroFire) March 20, 2019
Watch the 9NEWS story here:
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