SANTA PAULA : 6th-Grader Puts CPR Training to Good Use

Twelve-year-old Berenice Magana did not think that she would save her brother’s life when she took a CPR class at school earlier this month.

But a week ago, the sixth-grader faced a life-and-death situation when her 4-year-old brother, Antonio, got a chunk of orange stuck in his throat and she had to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

“If it weren’t for her, he would have died,” said Kevin J. Fildes, a captain with the Santa Paula Fire Department.

According to Berenice, she and Antonio were watching television when Antonio, who was eating an orange, began choking and was unable to breathe or speak.

“I knew that I had to do something because he couldn’t even cry,” said Berenice, who performed the Heimlich maneuver. “So I grabbed him and began pressing his stomach. I was afraid, but I had to do it.”

Fildes said considering that the two youngsters were home alone and that the family did not have a telephone to call 911, the chances of Antonio surviving were slim.

“It would take at least five minutes for them to get to a neighbor’s house and get help,” Fildes said. “By that time, he would have lost consciousness and suffered brain damage.”

Graciela Magana, Berenice’s mother, said she was grateful to Isbell Middle School officials for training children to perform CPR and first aid.

Berenice was one of about 350 Santa Paula sixth-graders who attended the six-hour course taught by Fildes, who volunteered to train the children.

School officials said they offered the course this semester because they wanted students to be prepared in case of an earthquake or other emergency.