A Life Saved in the Accounting Lunch Room!

Darlene Hammer (left) and Tammy Harris (right) 

The MileOne Scholarship Program was created to encourage our employees and their immediate family members to take advantage of advanced educational opportunities. Tammy Harris, an accounts payable clerk in the Heritage accounting department, used the skills she learned to become a nurse to save a fellow employee’s life!

Darlene Hammer, a member of the Heritage accounting department, was eating lunch in the break room when she started choking on a hamburger. She could not breathe and was turning blue. Tammy was called in to assist and immediately performed the Heimlich maneuver. This cleared Darlene’s breathing path and ultimately saved her life.

“At first, I thought they were messing with me when they told me to come help someone who was choking,” Tammy said, “but when I realized it was a true emergency, I jumped up and used my training. I think I actually blacked out with adrenaline - my reaction was just emotional, and I knew I had to do what I could to save Darlene’s life. I am so grateful that my inclusion in MileOne’s Scholarship Program allowed me to fulfill my goal of attending nursing school. If I hadn’t recently had those classes, who knows what might have happened.”

The experience made a lasting impression on Darlene. “I remember not being able to inhale or exhale, for what seemed like forever,” Darlene explained. “After Tammy did the Heimlich maneuver I looked at her and told her I loved her and that she was my hero. When I got home, I made my whole family take a CPR & Heimlich class. It happened so fast and was so unexpected. I’ve realized it is something everyone should be prepared to handle.”