Wixom girl saved by teacher from choking on water bottle cap

(FOX 2) - Nicholas Cavanaugh gets emotional when he things about how a water bottle cap almost cost his daughter her life.

"Our life could have been ruined over a 2-inch diameter plastic cap," said Nicholas Cavanaugh. "She was just being silly, she took the cap halfway off, and puts the cap over her mouth and squeezes the water in, and it came out of the sides and then pushed it."

His daughter 2nd grader Sienna was at in the middle of snack time at Loon Lake Elementary in Wixom when she squeezed her water bottle and accidentally inhaled the plastic cap. Sienna couldn't breathe.

"I choked," she said.

"I had a student come up to me and she was kind of making these motions, I said can you breathe," said teacher Laura Doran.

"So I did this, and I ran to my teacher and she saved me," said Sienna.

Without hesitating, her teacher Laura Doran sprang into action - performing the Heimlich maneuver on Sienna.

"I was just like, 'Cough it up, cough it up you can do it, throw it up,' like I was willing it. Like when you are trying to help someone and you want to do it for them," Doran said.

Seconds felt like minutes, but Sienna finally coughed up the cap.

"We were hugging and shaking she said I want to go home, I said me too," Doran said. "It was a very emotional and scary thing when you think what could have happened."

Sienna was shaken up, but is doing fine now thanks to Mrs. Doran.

"We owe her more than we could we could ever repay her," Nicholas said. "Without thinking she stayed calm and she performed the Heimlich on Sienna."

"Awesome because she saved me," Sienna said.

"It was very emotional for both of us we could have lost her," Nicholas said. "The biggest thing we have is gratitude. We can't thank her enough. We get to come home today and hug our girl. She is our hero."

"I think every teacher is a hero because we do a lot with a little," Doran said. "There is great rewards in knowing I help my kids every day." 

Nicholas wanted to bring the story to our attention not only to thank the teacher, but as a warning to other children about what can happen when goofing around with a water bottle.