Au Pair Saves 5-Year-Old from Choking

Today, February 20, 2009, Au Pair USA (au pair agency) sent out a press release about one of their au pairs from Ecuador, Nena Mayorga, who saved her host family's 5-year-old daughter from choking!

Nena is now a finalist for the International Au Pair Association (IAPA) "Au Pair of the Year Award" to be presented in Vienna, Austria this March.

The au pair is with the Thompson family of Irvington, NY, where she takes care of Ryan, 5, and Jessica, 4. The family was so grateful to Nena, that they nominated her for this prestigous award. I am sure the family is so proud and very grateful!

The host mom, Janine, was at the dinner table when the girl, Jessica, started to choke.
The host mom tried to dislodge the food from her daughter's throat by using the Heimlich Maneuver, but she couldn't remember the method. Nena acted swiftly and grabbed the child from her mother and perfomed the method as she was taught at Au Pair USA's orientation program. The food was dislodged and the child began to breath again.

Great job Nena!

We may question how much or how well au pairs actually learn or retain in the au pair agencys' orientation sessions, which take place once the girls arrive in the United States. Suffering from jet lag, cultural shock and problems with English comprehension, many au pairs have stated they do not remember much of the training. The orientation sessions are crammed into 3-4 days, and does include basic CPR and basic training in the use of the Heimlich Manuever.

Well, obviously, some of these au pairs do remember and we hope Nena wins the award - what more can an au pair do to deserve the "Au Pair of the Year Award" than saving a child's life!

Wonderful story! You can see the full press release and details under Current News at http://www.aupairclearinghouse.com/ - the national's only clearinghouse on information on the au pair industry.

You heard it first, here, at Aupairclearinghouse!


Not sure how to perform the method? Check it out and review it with your au pair: http://www.heimlichinstitute.org/.