By Stephanie Babyak, Red Cross Volunteer

On a lovely summer’s day, a group of friends gathered for a surprise party to celebrate their friend’s 40^th birthday. The festivities in Virginia Beach, Virginia, included a cookout with picnic food of hamburgers and hot dogs. Everyone was having a wonderful time – until the unthinkable happened.

Suddenly, the group noticed that one friend was having trouble breathing. Panic set in as he gestured, “I’m choking.” Everyone in attendance froze, not sure what to do. Then Sophia Prusinki used her emergency training to conduct the Heimlich maneuver on the man, dislodging the food and saving her friend’s life.

On March 25, at a ceremony at the Red Cross office in Fairfax, Virginia, Juan Garcia, executive director of the Red Cross of Northern Virginia presented Sophia with the American Red Cross “Certificate of Extraordinary Personal Action” for her heroism.

Sophia credits her mother, Sue, a cardiac intensive care nurse who “drummed life-saving basics” into Sophia and her brother. Mom was also a Red Cross instructor who taught lifesaving courses at the U.S. Air Force and Naval Base in Spandahlem, Germany.

“Because my mother trained us over and over again, I, thankfully, knew what to do in the situation,” said Sophia, who lives in Northern Virginia.

Her friend is grateful for Sophia’s swift action. However, things could have turned out very differently without her because no one else there was trained.

Sophia said, “I would definitely recommend life-saving training courses for others because knowing what to do in an emergency like this is important.”

The American Red Cross offers a variety of training courses, both in person and online. Courses include First Aid, CPR, Babysitting and Child Care, Lifeguarding, and Swimming and Water Safety. Locations for training classes can be found throughout the local area.

Training is available to help individuals develop the skills to respond to breathing and cardiac emergencies. Group courses for organizations or workplace situations as well as first responders are available as well. Take a CPR or First Aid training course with the American Red Cross so that you are prepared to take action in an emergency and help save a life!