TORRINGTON, Conn. -- A teacher's aide at Torrington High School is credited with saving the life of a special needs student.

Lisa Mackstutis works as a paraprofessional at the school, providing teachers and students with assistance.

"It's like an instructional assistant. I'm in with the teachers and I help them with lessons, and if children are having difficulty with the content, I go around and help them individually," she said.

Mackstutis also covers lunch duty at the school on Thursdays.

"I usually go and kind of mingle in between, you know, talk to them and see how the day is going," she said.

On Thursday, Oct. 4, Mackstutis became aware of a special needs student in trouble.

Shannon Klonoski's mother told Eyewitness News that one of her daughter's favorite things to do is participate in the Special Olympics.

"She does the 5K run. She's in Special Olympics every year. She does the bowling for the Special Olympics," her mother, Lisa Klonoski said. "They give everyone a medal, you know, at the end. Shannon comes in fourth out of four, but she gets her medal and she's so excited."

Klonoski said that one of Shannon's other favorite things is food.

"Shannon has Down syndrome and she has a little bit of oral motor problems, so sometimes when she eats, she eats a little too fast," she said. "(She) was eating in the cafeteria at the high school when she began to choke on a taco and wasn't able to breathe."

"I heard that she started to gasp, and that's when I knew she was in trouble," Mackstutis said.

Mackstutis said her first reaction was to see if Shannon could speak.

"I didn't get any response, so that's when I needed to act," she said.

Mackstutis said that she asked Shannon to stand and then performed the Heimlich Maneuver on her. She said the piece of hamburger that Shannon was choking on came right up.

"She didn't panic, she used what she knew and I'm glad that she knew it," Klonoski said.

Doctor Describes How To Help Choking Victim

Dr. Stephen Holland of St. Mary's Hospital said that most of the time, choking victims are unable to talk, and that is the time to take action.

Holland said that he recommends the Heimlich Maneuver if a person is conscious and arms can be fit around them.

"The Heimlich Maneuver can be performed by coming around the back of them, taking your fist in your dominant hand -- usually your right hand -- bringing that to below the sternum," he said.

He said hands should be placed just below the ribcage and above the navel.

"You're going to go inward and upward with that thrust, and you're going to do that six to 10 times. It may not work on the first time," he said.

Holland said to continue trying even if the person seems as though they are about to pass out.

"As they start to pass out, those laryngeal muscles will relax and then you may have a more successful Heimlich Maneuver," he said.

Holland said that if a chocking victim is unconscious, they should first be placed flat on their back. He said the airway should be cleared if possible. He said if the airway cannot be cleared, he recommends abdominal thrusts.

"You're going to put your hand right in there and just like we did before, our thrust is going to be down and up," he said.

He said that if the victim is obese or pregnant, the protocol is to use chest compressions, much like performing CPR.

"You're going to go up about two fingers from the bottom of the breast bone and then you're going to put your dominant hand right on the mid-to-lower part of the sternum," he said.

Holland said the goal is to push the sternum down about 2 inches and do five thrusts in a row.

Holland said that 1,500 people in the United States die every year from coking. He said the biggest choking hazard for kids is toys and for adults is meat.

To find a CPR class in the Hartford area, which include sections on saving people from choking, visit the Red Cross online.

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