A Georgia middle school student is sharing the frightening moment he says he couldn’t breathe while eating lunch — and how a nearby teacher stepped in and helped save his life.
Dalton Tomberlain, a seventh-grader at McClure Middle School, described the incident in a video posted by the Cobb County School District on Jan. 16. He said he was eating a burger when he suddenly felt something wrong.
“I was just eating a burger, and I felt like a soreness in my throat, and then I just could not breathe,” Dalton said. He explained that he put his hands around his neck to show English teacher Valerie Hodge that he was choking.
“I thought I was going to die a little bit … it was just scary,” he added.
Dalton’s mother, Courtney, said the situation quickly appeared serious. “From what I understand, he was turning blue,” she said.
That’s when Hodge — who Dalton says is not his teacher — sprang into action and performed the Heimlich maneuver.
“I didn’t really even think, honestly. I just kind of reacted,” Hodge recalled in the video. “I saw a student who was in trouble and … I just went into action.”
Afterward, Dalton expressed his gratitude, saying, “She saved my life, so it’s a big thing.”
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His mom also thanked the teacher for acting without hesitation.
“I can’t thank her enough,” Courtney said. “She took care of business and she didn’t think twice, and I don’t know what the outcome could have been; it could have been a tragic situation for our family. I’m grateful that she was there. She took care of my son, and he was able to come home.”
