It was 2019, the day of the Rockwall High School Homecoming Parade, and the cheerleaders were nearly finished with their route. People were cheering, candy was being thrown. In the words of Tyra Winters, a 17-year-old Rockwall High School senior and cheerleader captain at the time, it was a bit chaotic.
Tyra recalls, “Suddenly, my co-captain tapped my shoulder and let me know that there was a little boy that was choking. Once I saw the little boy, I jumped off the float, ran all the way down (to him), and then I gave him the Heimlich maneuver. He spit up the gumball almost immediately. His color came back, and I handed him back to his mom. Then I ran all the way back, jumped on the float, and we finished the parade!”
Tyra Winters, now a teacher and cheer coach at Cedar Hill ISD, wasn’t just lucky that day. She was trained. She recalls how after her sister went to college, she asked her mom to start fostering youth so that she could have foster siblings. Part of the requirement to foster was that Tyra must be trained in CPR, first aid, the Heimlich maneuver, stroke protocol, and more.
Tyra’s training not only helped her save a two-year-old boy at the parade, but it also helped a friend at school.
“The first time I helped someone who was choking was in middle school. I was in the seventh grade, and one of my friends was choking on a granola bar during lunch. I also gave her the Heimlich maneuver, and she ended up being fine.”
These days, in addition to teaching, Tyra is studying for the MCAT, hoping to go into pediatric surgery. Her story is a reminder that with proper training, we can all save a life.
Consider taking a class to learn lifesaving skills at www.cprcertificationlabs.com/offices/rockwall-rowlett.