Choking and alone, Frona Hawley knew she was in trouble.

She looked for something in the living room that she could lean against to force the object up and out. No luck. With time passing and every second precious, she ran downstairs to her husband and daughter and gave them the universal sign for choking.

It took quick thinking on the part of her entire family—and some valuable Red Cross training—to save her life.

Her daughter dialed 9-1-1 immediately. Her husband, Terry, grabbed her under her ribs and administered a strong abdominal thrust. Nothing happened. Frona urgently moved his arms higher up on her chest. Once more thrust and the obstruction was out.

Later, after Frona had recovered and was breathing normally again, the family discussed what had happened.

“We couldn’t believe that we did it,” Frona said, with understandable pride. Both she and her husband received CPR training at Chelsea Milling. The company offers the class every year to employees. It was the first course of its kind for Frona, the second for Terry. Their daughter, Caitlin, learned CPR as part of a Red Cross babysitting class. Everyone was trained; everyone made a life-saving contribution.

Based on her personal experience, Frona is convinced that everyone should take CPR training. “After all,” she said, “it could help you save a person’s life. I know I’ll certainly be taking the class again.”

The American Red Cross offers Save-A-Life Scholarships with the support of Washtenaw United Way to hundreds of Washtenaw County residents each year.

When you give to United Way, you invest in what matters—saving lives.