Area Red Cross director receives award for saving wife

Todd James can now joke about a night last summer when he, his wife, Kendra, and friends were out for dinner in Findlay. But it was anything but funny when Kendra James began to choke. "It was, without a doubt, very scary," said Todd James, executive director of the American Red Cross' North Central Ohio Chapter. "Fortunately, when I recognized what was going on, the training just all came back and I just did it. You're like, 'OK, I know what I've got to do here.' And when it was over, it was like, 'Oh, my God, that just happened.'" That preparedness to be able to dislodge food from his wife's throat came from being trained for such occurrences through the Red Cross. And last Saturday night, at the North Central Ohio Chapter board of directors' annual strategic planning retreat at Terra Community College in Fremont, Todd James received the Red Cross Certificate of Merit, the highest award given by the Red Cross to individuals who save or sustain a life using skills learned in a Red Cross course. "It's a little odd for me to be talking about myself getting an award for something like this," James said. "I'm very appreciative. I'm very humbled by it. If anything, receiving the award and having the stories that come from it, I hope it highlights for folks who maybe haven't had this training yet to think, 'You know, I probably should look into that because I don't want to be in that situation and not know what to do.'" James, whose Red Cross chapter includes Erie, Hancock, Huron, Lorain, Putnam, Seneca and Wyandot counties, said he first learned lifesaving procedures when he joined the Red Cross 17 years ago and he's renewed his certification every two years since. "It's always there in the back of your mind – at least mine anyway: 'OK, I know this. I've trained in it, I learned it, but, hey, am I going to remember it when the time comes?'" James said. "Fortunately, I did." It's the only time James has had to put his training into motion. "I like to say I think I racked up a few husband points that evening," James said with a laugh. The situation was very serious when it took place, though. "She was gesticulating, making motions, but she wasn't coughing, which is one of the signs you look for," James said. "If someone can cough, then they're not choking. But if they're not able to cough, it's because can't get air in or out, and that's what the situation was. She was making gestures toward her throat, like you would expect, so I followed the three steps we take. I checked: 'Are you choking?' And she's nodding, of course. So, I had her stand up and bend over and did the back blows. And when that didn't clear it, I did abdominal thrusts, and fortunately, that worked." James said the entire incident lasted a very short time and 911 wasn't called. "There didn't seem to be any lasting ill effects," he said. "She was able to breathe OK. If, of course, took some time to settle down. We just tried to relax and catch our breath, so to speak, after the whole event, and, fortunately, we didn't have to have any further action." James noted that others in the restaurant were "very kind" and expressed their concern, with James joking that "they got a little show with dinner that night, I guess." And, indeed, that positive outcome is something to smile over. "I have such an amazing wife," James said. "I can't even imagine the other ending to this. I'm the lucky one here and I thank her every day for still being here with me."