Students and Educators Heroically Respond to Save Choking Student at Woodlake High School

WOODLAKE, Calif. — When a California high school student began choking, his life was saved thanks to a quick response from students and educators.

“I was about to sit down, but then I heard a noise, and that’s when I turned around,” said Jose Tadeo, a junior at Woodlake High School.

“As these thoughts raced through my mind, I wondered, ‘Is this kid in danger of dying right now?'” recounted Victor De La Cruz, the Assistant Principal at Woodlake High School.

Lunchtime at Woodlake High School might have ended in disaster if not for the prompt response of some teachers and students. Their swift actions were all captured on the security cameras.

“I noticed Manuel stand up and thought it was unusual, then he began to spin, which is what happens when he’s about to have a seizure,” shared Stephanie Hayes, an education specialist at Woodlake High School.

It’s not uncommon for Manuel Garcia to have seizures; his teachers and friends are prepared for that. But on April 23, something much worse came.

“Within about 30 seconds, he turned purple,” said Hayes. “Because at that point, it wasn’t just a seizure. He was also choking.”

From across the lunch area, Tadeo was the first to react.

“I see just no one going, and I just got up,” said Tadeo. “You know what, I’m not doing this, so I got up and I ran over there to see what I could do to help.”

In a nearby grassy patch, senior Luis Jimenez was practicing his tennis.

“I heard someone repeating a name, and that caught my attention, so I looked over and I see someone on the floor just twitching,” said Jimenez. “I watched for maybe a few seconds before I started moving.”

De La Cruz also jumped into action.

“So I’ve always been trained to walk slowly and patiently, but I started running over here,” said De La Cruz. “And then I’m like, ‘No, he’s not going to die. He’s not going to die on our campus.'”

Jose and Luis tried to lift Manuel, but De La Cruz realized they needed backup.

“He called my name and he was like, ‘Memo, I need some help,'” said Guillermo Rosales.

Junior Guillermo Rosales dropped his lunch and came running.

“We picked him up onto the table so Mr. De La Cruz put his hands on his stomach and be able to pump out the food that was in his throat,” said Rosales.

“I was just trying to hold his shoulders that way he wouldn’t fall forward, because he constantly kept falling forward,” said Tadeo.

“I was on my knees so I could hold them up from the legs because if nobody held him up from there, he would’ve fallen again,” said Jimenez.

“I was pulling food out of his mouth at the same time De La Cruz was doing the Heimlich,” said Hayes.

Then came the moment of relief when he started breathing.

We showed them the surveillance video for the first time on Tuesday and how their actions stood out.

“The camera doesn’t show it, but I remember seeing everyone over there,” said Jimenez.

“Everyone in all corners,” said Tadeo.

Amazingly, Manuel returned to school the next day.

His daily presence is their biggest gift.

“As long as he’s able to see another day, that’s the most exciting part about it,” said Tadeo.

The boys and Mr. De La Cruz will be presented with an award on Wednesday at the school board meeting.