Sept. 9 started as an ordinary day at school for Caiden Jensen.
But that suddenly changed.
The Independence Middle School sixth grader was eating lunch with friends in the cafeteria when he began to choke.
Security assistant Willie Keels just happened to be standing nearby.
“He ran to me,” Keels recalled. “The kids were stunned.”
Keels said Caiden’s face was very red as he pointed to his neck, unable to speak.
Something was obviously lodged in Caiden’s throat, and he couldn’t breathe.
The security assistant’s adrenaline and training kicked in.
He and other VBCPS security personnel were recently certified in emergency first aid, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the Heimlich maneuver and use of an automatic external defibrillator (AED).
Keels said he tried to remain calm as he began the Heimlich maneuver, also known as the abdominal thrust, to dislodge the food item.
“I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s gotta work,’ ” Keels said.
After three tries, the piece of mozzarella stick lodged in Caiden’s throat burst out, enabling him to breathe again. They immediately headed to the school nurse’s office to get checked out.
Caiden said he appreciated the security assistant’s help.
“I took too big of a bite and it went down too fast and it seemed to get stuck in my throat,” he recalled.
Keel’s quick action prevented the unthinkable, said Caiden’s mother Stephanie Jensen, who received a phone call from the school immediately after the incident.
“It was kind of shocking,” she said.
After she arrived at school, they showed her video footage of Keels helping her son.
She is very grateful to the security assistant for taking quick action. “Caiden was in good hands,” she said.
Principal Christy McQueeney called Keels “a shining star.”
“Because of Mr. Keels, something that could have been devastating ended happily,” she said.
“I am so blessed to have a security team that cares about our students and does whatever they need to do to keep students safe at Independence Middle.”
Keels grew teary-eyed as he recalled being nearby when Caiden began choking. He regularly circulates through the cafeteria to keep lunch lines orderly, ensure floors are clean and monitor students.
The date was six months to the day that his grandmother-who raised him-passed away.
“I was right there,” Keels said. “I was thankful God was about to use me in that moment.”
Caiden and the security assistant agreed they now have a special bond.
“He saved my life from ending early,” Caiden said.