Hazel Akerley, cafeteria ninja

Three cheers for Hazel Akerley, a cafeteria monitor who works at Liberty Middle School. In her time working at the school, she has saved two students from choking on their food by performing well-timed Heimlich maneuvers, according to a news brief in the Times Herald-Record. Her latest save was earlier this month:

Akerley recently saw a girl choking on a piece of chicken and began performing the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge the food, the school district announced Dec. 20. "I'm just glad that I know how to do it (the Heimlich maneuver)," said Akerley, an 18-year cafeteria employee. "It's all in a day's work."

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