First-Aid Teacher, Student Win Highest Honor From Red Cross
A first-aid teacher and a student at Pomona Catholic High School have each received the American Red Cross Certificate of Merit, the organization’s highest award, for separate lifesaving incidents.
The teacher, Bonnie Phillips, taught first aid to 16-year-old Mandi Banales. About a year ago, Banales was baby-sitting a 7-year-old boy when the boy swallowed a size AA battery. She used the Heimlich maneuver to force the battery out of his throat.
In March, Phillips saved the life of a neighbor family’s 8-week-old baby who had stopped breathing. Phillips applied mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until paramedics arrived.
The awards, signed by President Bush, were presented Dec. 20 at a special Mass at the high school.
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