Mom Saves Son from Choking, Credits WPD Training Program

WILMINGTON, MA - A Wilmington mom saved her 9-year-old son from choking and is crediting it to a training class she recently took through the Wilmington Police Department.

Roberta Bickford posted on Facebook that she had to perform the Heimlich maneuver on her 9-year-old son after he started choking. What she learned from the officers in that class helped her save her son's life.

Here's what she continued to say in her post:

When he came running into me with his hands around his throat in complete panic, I immediately thought of the course and could actually hear the voices of the 3 training officers constant reminders of how important it is to stay calm and follow the necessary steps in determining if the person is able to breathe, and more importantly how to administer the Heimlich on a small child successfully.

The officers who provided the training (forgive me for not remembering their names) helped me potentially save my son's life today. I can't express enough how thankful I am to have been in that class. Just another great example of the amazing police department we have. THANK YOU WPD!!!!

Wilmington Police say this is a great example of why they offer these classes, funded through the Cummings Foundation.

They say they hope to offer another community CPR class this spring.