‘Saviors’; Fulton County woman meets, thanks firemen who saved her life

NORTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A North Fulton woman got to meet the men who saved her life.

“They are my saviors and I’ll never forget them,” Iris Sherman said.

Sherman. 74, says if it were not for these first responders, her birthday would have been her last.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

She went out to eat with her children and got a steak to celebrate.

When she took her first bite, Sherman said the steak was lodged in her throat and she stopped breathing.

“My son-in-law did the Heimlich and couldn’t get it out,” she said.

She does not remember much after that, but Milton Police Department rushed over. Officers performed CPR for minutes just to keep her heart beating until fire rescue could arrive.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Security guard shot after couple skips out on restaurant tab, Dunwoody police say
• Snow begins to fall in north Georgia following night of heavy rain
• Panic erupts after two men exchange gunfire outside of DeKalb Walmart, police searching for suspects

“When I walked in I could immediately see she wasn’t breathing,” Capt. Ryan James of Milton Fire-Rescue said. “I immediately grab my airway bag, grab my tools out and I couldn’t see real good but I knew there was something down in there.”

Capt. James was able to show her exactly what he did next. He used a scope to find the blockage.

“I went back in with the forceps and I was able to pull it out, and as soon as I pulled it out two to three seconds, she took a breath.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

“There’s no greater feeling than that – that’s why we all of us do this job,” he said.

“Wonderful. This is just... it is an honor to be here. My heart just could not be full enough,” Sherman said. “I hope that everybody remembers the first responders because without them, I wouldn’t be here but many more people wouldn’t be here.”

IN OTHER NEWS:

Snow storm hits north Georgia mountains

©2022 Cox Media Group