'I didn't think cheese balls would betray me like that'
May 17—MOULTRIE — Minutes, even seconds could have changed a local student's life last week.
It was a typical lunch break at the GEAR (Gifted Education with Academic Rigor) center Thursday, May 11, when Site Coordinator Kristyn Nelms was monitoring the cafeteria and was approached with a life-threatening situation.
Student Landon "Moose" Thomas was eating lunch with his fifth-grade classmates pretending to be a vacuum to "suck up" his Cheeto balls when one went straight to the back of his airway and lodged in place.
"I was scared. I was trying to get Mrs. Nelms's attention and I guess someone told her that I was choking," Thomas said in an interview Wednesday morning.
A nearby male fifth-grade student guided Thomas by the arm to Nelms when they recognized that he needed help. Nelms performed the Heimlich maneuver on Thomas and dislodged the puff out of his airway.
"I just respond the way any educator I would hope would respond, and our school system is really fortunate to have the nursing staff and trainers that are brought in throughout the year. We make sure that we have as many staff members certified in CPR, the Heimlich maneuver and crisis response as we can, but we also have the staff available in our school system," Nelms said.
She dedicated her training readiness to GEAR Center Nurse Kelli Whatley and School Nurse Coordinator Suzanne Sumner.
"I'm just glad that we have those things in place and the Lord gave me a clear enough mind to execute those things that we've been trained in. You don't really know how things are going to be in that true response situation," Nelms said.
The center staff works with the children periodically to prepare them for what to do in emergency situations and Nelms was proud that the student was aware of the situation.
"I'm really proud of the other student who got involved and got our attention. He had Landon by the arm and had him right there with the adults. That child didn't panic, or there might have been panic inside them, but they were aware enough to get a close adult," she said.
"I didn't think cheese balls would betray me like that," Landon said.
Landon's mother, Kristi Thomas, was at home working when the GEAR center nurse called, recalling her son's incident.
"She first led with, "He's okay now, but Landon had choked in the cafeteria" and then told me about how Kristyn had to perform the Heimlich maneuver," Kristi Thomas recalled.
Thomas herself was a critical care nurse for over 20 years prior to working from home and has witnessed several instances where the choking treatment did not work.
"I just immediately started crying. My husband [Trey Thomas] is a certified CPR instructor, so when we heard what happened and that it worked and saved him we just ... we knew everything that could have gone wrong," she explained in tears.
They began to consider all the what-ifs.
"If the little boy hadn't got to him. If Kristyn had panicked and not been able to use the [Heimlich maneuver]. I will never ever be able to repay her. I cried all day thinking about the what-ifs," she said.
Kristi Thomas said to Nelms, "We are indebted to you because you saved our baby."
Over the weekend, Landon revealed to his family that he doesn't remember getting pulled to Nelms because he couldn't see anything.
"With my experience, I already knew he was on the verge of blacking out. I know that's nature's kind way of making sure the choking victim doesn't know they're dying. It was pretty significant and the fact that she's so modest. She's our superhero," she said.
"The number one thing in our school and any school in our district is to make sure our kids are safe and they feel safe," Nelms said. "Part of that is to make sure they know how to respond to situations and I'm just so proud to know that it worked. I hope through this, even though it's not something that you ever want to happen, parents are able to learn more about what we have placed in our schools. I hope that makes them feel even more confident to send their kids to us. We love these kids as if they're our own."
Kristi Thomas added, "I see the love for all the kids on her face. You never see her where she's not smiling or waving at these kids. It just warms my heart that these kids have you. They have a bond now that will never ever be broken."
The GEAR center is planning to recognize and present an award to the student who assisted Landon during the school's fifth-grade Honors Day and End of Year Program Thursday.
"Without him, we wouldn't have responded as quickly and seen the same outcome," Nelms said.
