Andrew J. Rickoff PreK-8 School first-grade teacher Tricia Page's quick instincts turned an ordinary day into an unforgettable one.
Page was in her classroom with a few students, including Zakyrah, when the 6-year-old started choking on a tortilla chip.
"I dipped my tortilla in the meat and cheese," said Zakyrah. And when it was in my mouth, I choked on it."
Page remembers seeing Zakyrah in distress.
"I looked up and saw her with her hands on her neck," Page, who has been teaching for 18 years, recalled. "She wasn't making any sound. That's when I knew she was choking."
Time slowed as adrenaline took over. Page immediately called for another teacher to get the nurse while she sprang into action.
"I picked her up out of her seat, got under her arms, and started doing the Heimlich," she said. "For a moment, there was just silence. That was the scariest part."
Zakyrah, struggling to breathe, could still get air through her nose but not her mouth. The sharp tortilla chip was lodged in her throat, causing pain and panic. But thanks to Page's swift action, the food was dislodged, and soon, the little girl was crying, a sound that, at that moment, was a relief.
"I just kept telling her, 'Keep talking, keep talking to me,'" Page said, holding the child close until the nurse arrived.
After school, Page couldn't stop thinking about her student. She contacted Zakyrah's mother to check on her and ensure she was feeling better.
The following day, when Zakyrah walked into the classroom, she had something important to say. "You deserve an award for saving me," the first-grader told her teacher.
Page smiled at the memory. "I told her, 'I would do it all over again for anybody.'"
Though many now call her a hero, the humble educator insists she simply did what anyone would.
"It was just instinct," she said. "I'm just grateful I was there. I still think, what if it had happened in the cafeteria? Would someone have noticed in time?"
For Zakyrah and her family, there's no doubt that Trisha Page was exactly where she needed to be.
"Good," the little girl said when asked how she felt about her teacher. "She saved me."
