EASTON, Pa. — Easton City Council on Wednesday recognized three people instrumental in saving the life of a baby girl.
On Sept. 30, Shante Wheeler found herself outside Cheston Elementary School when her newborn daughter, Amira Crable, began choking.
But thanks to the rapid response of Easton Area School District Police Officer Stephen Schleig, District Nurse Jenny McMaster and Nurse Assistant Natassja Speece, the 3-week-old is as happy and healthy as ever.
According to Wheeler, Amira had just eaten about half an hour before taking a nap as Wheeler was waiting to pick up her other child at the South Side Easton school.
“She’s here, they saved my baby, and I’m just so thankful for them.”Shante Wheeler
The baby began vomiting, which Wheeler said went back down her throat.
“The first thing I did was grab her out of her car seat, and I flipped her over and started patting on her back," Wheeler said.
"And then I noticed, OK, well, she's struggling to breathe.
“And I know the cop is always there, Officer Schleig is always there. Every single day, I see him, every day.
"And I didn't know where my phone was. I didn't have time to look for it. I just took her and ran right over to him, and she's choking, she's not breathing, and I gave her to him. And after that, I can't remember much.
“She’s here, they saved my baby, and I’m just so thankful for them.”
Wheeler added she has no idea what could have happened without help from the trio.
'Really great teamwork'
McMaster said she was at Cheston to cover for a school nurse that day, and while she and Speece were packing up, the school’s assistant principal dashed into the gym to alert them there was a choking baby.
Speece grabbed an emergency bag, and dashed outside with McMaster and a gym teacher to find Schleig performing back blows on Amira.
"I wanted to make sure that we kept her going."Easton Area School District Nurse Jenny McMaster
McMaster, who has 10 years of experience in emergency medicine and critical care, said “this wasn’t anything new to me, thank goodness.”
“Once I realized what was really happening, I flipped her back over. We did some back blows. We got her to start crying. She ended up going limp a few times.
"And I remember I said to Officer Schleig, I was like, ‘We need to just get her in a diaper, get her clothes off so we can see how she's breathing, keep her stimulated, because I didn't want her falling asleep.’ I wanted to make sure that we kept her going."
Once an ambulance arrived, McMaster and the crew helped set up Amira in the vehicle and provide information for the first responders before she was taken to the emergency room.
“I'm not one that usually likes to take charge, but coming from the ER, that's kind of what I did," McMaster said. "And Officer Schleig and Natassja were there, and anything that I needed or that the baby needed, they just did.
"So it was really great teamwork with everybody.
“If it wasn't for the officers being there and starting, we definitely could have had a different outcome. If it wasn't for Natassja, I asked her to help me out with suction, it could have been a totally different outcome.”
The baby was admitted to the emergency department and recovered well enough to come out for Wednesday’s council meeting, where she was the star of the show.
Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. commended the group for their quick work and dedication.
"I will forever be grateful."Shante Wheeler
“We appreciate your efforts, and we thank God that you were at the right place, at the right time, and in this school," Panto said.
"And we thank the school district for providing nurses in every school, and staff and security, because I think that's very important. Some schools don't have it, and we're very fortunate that our school district provides it."
Vice Mayor Ken Brown told Schleig, McMaster and Speece that they were “living angels.”
“You were there for a reason, and you didn't panic," Brown said. "You did what you were trying to do, and for that, living angels kept an angel alive. Thank you.”
Schleig, McMaster and Speece each received a commendation from Easton City Council for their actions, and Wheeler offered them baked goods and a fruit basket as a token of appreciation.
Wheeler heaped praise on the three for saving her baby’s life, emphasizing how thankful she was for their quick response that saved the newborn.
“I'm just appreciative of all three of them, and they saved my baby. I will forever be grateful. And now we have to stay in Easton forever so she could go to Cheston,” Wheeler said with a laugh.
