“You never think you’ll need it—until you do.”

In Boise, Breanna Hinkle and Joaquin Lemus were celebrating 15 years with the Red Cross when someone at a nearby table began choking.

"By the time I turned around to look at the man in need, Breanna was already up and asking if she could help," said Joaquin. “I think it says a lot about her character as she is a noble person and not timid for helping a stranger.””

Thanks to years of CPR training, Breanna stepped in calmly and confidently; her emergency skills made all the difference.  

"After obtaining consent, I then performed the abdominal thrusts. Thankfully, it only took about three to four to dislodge the obstruction, and he started wheezing and coughing," she wrote. "They thanked me for my help and sat back down to finish their lunch like nothing happened.  It was a very surreal experience."

Breanna refreshes her CPR skills every two years. She never expected to use them—but when the moment came, she was ready.

"My hands were shaking for a good 10 to 15 minutes after everything was done.  It all happened so quickly that it didn't even feel real."

Real heroes don’t wear capes, they take Red Cross classes: https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class...