A school lunch monitor on Long Island is being praised for helping save a boy's life when the second grader started choking on a slice of pizza at school.
Lunch time at a school for 5-, 6- and 7-year old has its own set challenges every day, and longtime aide Francesca Augello thought she had seen them all in her nearly six years at Wood Park Primary School. That is, until, a frightening few moments on Friday.
"He was just staring at me so I asked if he was OK. He didn’t respond," she told NBC New York. "He just opened his mouth, he couldn’t talk, so right then I knew he was choking."
The boy in distress was Grayson Molina. The 7-year-old had been eating pizza when Augello realized he was choking. He said Tuesday that he remembered not being able to breathe and being scared, until Augello followed the instructions on a cafeteria poster to free the food lodged in his throat.
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"She saved his life...She did exactly what she would've done if it was her children. So our family is eternally grateful," said Grayson's mother, Alexa Molina, who went to the school with her husband to meet Augello for the first time.
The relieved parents got the chance to thank her in person on Tuesday, with words almost not seeming enough to express the depth of their thanks.
"To know that people think and care about others and want to make sure you are doing OK, it makes you proud to be here," said Paul Molina.
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The scary incident marked the first time Augello, a mother of three, had to come to the aid of a choking student.
"I’m a mom. My natural instincts kicked in so I did what I did. I saw a child needing help and I helped him," said Augello.
Grayson is back to normal after his frightening experience — though he said he doesn't want to have pizza for lunch any more, and his mom is always reminding him to chew his food.
"They’re like family and actually care and love our children just like we would," said Alexa Molina.
