Student Performs Heimlich, Saves 3-Year-Old

UNC junior Michele DeMarco never knew she would save a life by taking a new route home to avoid traffic one night. But because of her choice, one Fuquay-Varina family has a lot to be thankful for this holiday season.

Linda Shields was driving down Holly Springs Road in Cary on Oct. 29 to buy ice cream for her daughter's school Halloween party the next day. "I heard a gasp from the back seat, and when I turned around, Claire's face was totally blank," Shields said.

She realized Claire, her 3-year-old daughter, was choking on a piece of candy. After swerving onto the shoulder and bolting out of the car, Shields grabbed her child from the backseat. "I didn't know what to do - I panicked," she said.

Shields tried to remove the candy from Claire's throat but found it was firmly lodged. "So I just started shaking her upside down and yelling at the top of my lungs so that someone might pull over and help me," she said.

Help came in a little red Nissan driven by DeMarco, who pulled over immediately after seeing Shields.

"I knew something was really wrong when I saw her," DeMarco said.

Jamie Bradshaw, DeMarco's friend who was also in the car, agreed. "We weren't sure what was happening at first, but as soon as we stopped, we heard (Shields) screaming that her daughter wasn't breathing," he said.

Instinctively, DeMarco took the child and, performing the Heimlich maneuver, dislodged a piece of Atomic Fireball candy with one thrust.

DeMarco, a pre-pharmacy student who lives in Cary, received training in emergency care during a high school CPR class.

"She was like a professional," Shields said. "Her behavior and performance were nothing less than what I would expect from trained paramedics."

Shields, who plans on taking a CPR course at WakeMed soon, wanted to reward DeMarco for her help, but DeMarco declined. "When I asked what I could do to thank her, she just said `Let me baby-sit for Claire sometime. She's so cute.'"

DeMarco remains modest about her act of heroism. "I was nervous at first, and everything seemed so surreal, but when my adrenaline started pumping, something just took over and everything was automatic," she said.

But Shields sees DeMarco as a miracle. "She's just one of those God-sent, great individuals that you come across once in a lifetime, and it's hard to say in words what her help means to me," she said. "She really rose to the occasion, and I owe her everything."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.