A woman in a dining room in Cincinnati began choking on her food. A 96-year-old man jumped up and began doing the Heimlich maneuver on her and saved her life.
He wasn't just any man; he was Henry Heimlich himself, the inventor of the technique to dislodge obstructions from airways.
And even though Dr. Heimlich popularized this technique in the 1970s and it saved countless lives, this was the first time that he had performed it on a person that was actually choking!
I think about all the effort that went into Dr. Heimlich's work as he promoted it, demonstrated it, perfected it and absorbed backlash from some who question its methods. All while never actually using it in a lifesaving situation.
Think about what you are working on that could aid other people, even if it something that you may not use yourself. Do you have a solution to a tricky problem from your past that is no longer applicable to you, but may help someone else? Have you seen a problem that you might be able to solve (as was the motivation behind the Heimlich)? Can you anticipate a need and work now to fulfill it?
It is best when we share our talents in ways that benefit the greater community, even if we don't have a direct connection to the good. Strive to help others help others.
-- beth triplett
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@leadershipdots
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Source: 96-year-old Heimlich's maneuver saves a life by Lisa Cornwell for the Associated Press in the Telegraph Herald, May 26, 2016, p. 1A
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