New mom Hannah Jarvis was delighted to be spending her 7-month-old daughter Calli’s first Thanksgiving surrounded by eight of her family members.
They decided to go to a Golden Corral in Hendersonville to share a meal together and think about all of the things that they are thankful for.
In the midst of what was supposed to be a peaceful outing, complete panic took over. Calli started to choke on the mashed potatoes she was eating.
“We were all at the Golden Corral. We were celebrating Thanksgiving,” Jarvis told NEWS ABC13 WLOS. “We were just feeding her some mashed potatoes. She just started gagging all of a sudden. She was choking.”
Calli’s grandfather, Cimarron Waldrup, was coming back from getting some food when he saw the unnerving scene at their table.
He didn’t know what was going on at the moment and thought the baby was just spitting up.
“We all started freaking out,” Calli’s aunt Gabby Waldrup said. “My mom said call 911. She couldn’t breath for a minute.”
A waitress intervened and tried to help hold Calli up.
She then called out for anyone in the restaurant who could help the infant.
“The folks turned to my grandbaby, and that’s when that lady that saved her came up,” Cimarron said.
Deborah Rouse grabbed the child and started to perform a life-saving technique used on babies who are choking.
She began giving the baby multiple blows to her back.
“It was miraculous, she started breathing again,” said Jarvis.
The entire family was emotional and hugged and thanked Rouse among the chaotic scene.
“I will never forget the many tears that were shed today in Golden Corral as this angel stepped in,” Jarvis wrote on her Facebook page.
But amid the turmoil, Jarvis never got Rouse’s contact information at the time.
“I didn’t get her phone number or anything, but I knew her name and wanted people to know she’s a hero,” Jarvis said.
She put out a call on Facebook to try and track down Rouse so she could properly say thank you.
“It was something that was meant to be, at the right time and nowhere else,” said Cimarron Waldrup said. “We just want to thank her, thank Deborah, again.”
Eventually, Jarvis and Rouse were able to connect and meet up. Rouse also got a nice thank you letter and some gift cards from the President and CEO of Golden Corral.
“I’m soooooooo THANKFUL to God for having me in the right place at the right time!!! God, You are WORTHY,” said Rouse, who have five children of her own, according to KREM 2.
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