My life flashed before my eyes and I was minutes from passing out. I was not capable of breathing and I sounded like a horse as I struggled for breath. This particular day, I will, by no means, ever forget.

It was 2:45 p.m. and school had just ended. My mom was a bit behind schedule to drive Marisa, Jack, and me home from school. Marisa is my neighbor, and Jack is my friend who lives around the block. While we patiently waited, Marisa, knowing I was hungry, offered me a snack. It was not your ordinary Hershey’s bar; in fact, it was more like a ball of chocolate roughly half an inch thick. I tossed it in my mouth, and for some reason, forgot to chew, which should have been automatic. Clearly, without chewing, it is quite difficult to swallow something that size.

From then on, everything is a blur. I remember chatting with Jack, and him making a funny remark. An appropriate response in this situation would be a giggle, which is exactly what I did. As I began to laugh, I breathed in, and abruptly started to choke on the chocolate. At this point, Jack and Marisa struggled to remain calm. Next, Marisa attempted the Heimlich Maneuver, unfortunately failing. She repeated the process, and was unsuccessful yet again.

I began to panic. I thought I was going to die. I couldn’t breathe, and I was suffocating. I thought I had no hope whatsoever. Since Marisa had been unsuccessful, Jack heaved her out of the way and made an effort to save me. His first attempt was not effective, so he tried a second time. Fortunately, during his second attempt at the Heimlich Maneuver, he succeeded and the chocolate flew out of my mouth.

I would not be here to reflect on this day if Jack had not been there to save me. This has changed me. I was a girl who appreciated no one, who did not realize how grateful she was just to be living under a roof. And this girl has changed into someone else. This experience transformed me into a person whom I now can say I am very proud to be.