“I don't even think I fully realized what I was doing or what was going on ‘til I got in the car and my dad and I were driving away, and I burst into tears,” said 20-year-old Kent State student LaDonya Williams after she proved the importance of knowing how to perform the Heimlich maneuver by showing intense bravery and saving a woman’s infant from suffocating earlier this year.
LaDonya was originally supposed to be in Chicago for a modeling trip that weekend, but the universe needed her somewhere else, she said. Williams has been modeling since she was 14 and is now signed to a professional agency.
According to WEWS News 5 Cleveland, Williams and her father watched in the rearview mirrors at a red light as an SUV drove left of the centerline and slammed into another car that was preparing to turn.
After witnessing the horrific crash, Williams immediately ran to help the distraught woman begging for someone to save her 7-month-old son who wasn’t breathing. After Williams used her Red Cross first aid training to help the baby, he began to breathe again and was taken to the hospital to recover, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.
“It was so shocking to me because I was super calm during the situation. My heart was not racing. I just knew that I wanted to help. I knew that I had the knowledge to help, and I just completely jumped into the situation,” Williams said.
Williams and her father assumed the baby had stopped breathing as a result of the car crash, but later found out he stopped breathing before then and his mother was speeding to get to a hospital, according to News 5 Cleveland.
“I don't even think I realized really what I was doing or what was going on ‘til I got in the car and my dad and I were driving away and I burst into tears,” she said. “I said ‘I can't believe I just did that. I can't believe that just happened.’ My hands shook for the next two days.”
When asked what she learned from the situation, LaDonya was candid about the way human interaction has changed since the beginning of the pandemic.
“I learned a lot about myself through this experience. I already had the knowledge prior to the experience from my certifications,” she said. “I realized that a big question a lot of people have nowadays is: would you do something like this to help another person, especially during the pandemic? A lot of people are afraid of each other. They don't want to get out of their car to help someone.”
One of LaDonya’s inspirations and role models, her dad, has served for 30 years in the force. He shared his pride for his daughter’s heroism later.
"It was one of the most amazing things I've ever witnessed, and that being my daughter, it was really, really something the next level," Donny told News 5 Cleveland. "The universe had a different calling for her on that date."
Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett awarded LaDonya a citizen’s award for her bravery and ability to remain calm during an extremely stressful situation.
First responder, however, is not a career she is preparing to pursue. As a public relations student at Kent State, she plans to graduate in 2023.
“I’ve always loved the media, and when I found out about public relations, I found it to be super interesting. It just clicked with me,” she said.
While this rare situation won’t happen to everyone, LaDonya encourages everyone to take CPR classes in case of an emergency.
“Everyone should just take a few minutes out of their day to learn the Heimlich maneuver and CPR. Get certified because you never know what situation you could be put in where you could save a complete stranger or a family member,” she said. “You never want to be in that situation and feel helpless.”