West Milford Lunch aides at Maple Road School were put to the ultimate test recently as an ordinary lunch period became much more memorable than most others. First grade student Zander was eating his peanut butter sandwich (he doesn’t like jelly) on Oct. 27 when it suddenly got stuck in his throat and he couldn’t breathe. Lunch aide Donna Zelasko noticed the boy was in distress and asked him what was wrong. “He was slouched over,” she said. Young Zander put his hands to his throat showing the universal sign for choking. “I just grabbed him and did the Heimlich,” Zelasko said. Zelasko immediately administered the Heimlich maneuver while coworker Kelly Gieger ran across the hall to the nurse’s office to get professional medical assistance. In the brief moment it took for Gieger and the nurse to arrive back on the scene, Zelasko’s actions had dislodged the peanut butter blockage from Zander’s airway and the boy was able to swallow it down. The nurse examined Zander, and, thanks to the quick thinking, teamwork and heroic actions of Zelasko and Gieger, the child was just fine. “It was all Donna, she’s the hero here,” said Geiger, to which Zelasko responded, “It was both of us.” Geiger has worked at Maple Road School for over three years. Zelasko has worked at Maple Road School for five years, and has also worked in other township schools. It turns out that Zelasko is no stranger to using the life-saving method for choking in her 13 years in the district. She saved a boy at Westbrook School in 2000 when he choked on a hot dog. She also had to use the Heimlich maneuver on her own daughter four years ago on Mother’s Day when the girl choked on a piece of hard candy. Guess she is a real lifesaver to have around. How to do the Heimlich maneuver A choking victim can’t speak or breathe and needs your help immediately. Follow these steps to help a choking victim: 1. From behind, wrap your arms around the victim’s waist. 2. Make a fist and place the thumb side of your fist against the victim’s upper abdomen, below the ribcage and above the navel. 3. Grasp your fist with your other hand and press into their upper abdomen with a quick upward thrust. Do not squeeze the ribcage; confine the force of the thrust to your hands. 4. Repeat until object is expelled.