Dean Burden
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| Dean Burden (Chesterfield, MO) received the Lifesaver Award for saving his 11-year-old son’s life when he began to choke. Dean learned First Aid through the American Red Cross when he was a police officer in the 1990s. Through the Red Cross Lifesaver Awards, sponsored by AAA, the Red Cross has celebrated more than 400 local citizens who were able to save a life thanks to their training. Pictured from left to right: Jeff Bont (Manager, AAA), Dean Burden (Director of Sales, AAA), and Cindy Erickson (CEO, American Red Cross). |
In June, 2009, Dean Burden and his family were enjoying a regular dinner at home. In fact, it was better than usual, because the Burden family was having steak. Both Dean and his 11-year-old son Alex love steak nights.
Halfway through dinner, Alex suddenly jumped away from the table. His hands were around this throat, and Dean’s wife shouted “He’s choking!”
Dean says he ran to his son and threw his arms around Alex’s midsection. He made a fist with his hands, and pulled up just under Alex’s ribcage. After three abdominal thrusts, one piece of steak came free.
But Alex was still struggling to breathe and his face was turning an even deeper shade of blue. Dean had to do two more abdominal thrusts to dislodge a second piece of steak from Alex’s throat.
Afterward everyone in the family said they were extremely relieved, and shaken up over what had just happened. Within seconds their pleasant family meal had become a potential nightmare. Had Dean not acted so fast – or known exactly what to do – that meal might have ended much differently.
For those paying close attention, I mentioned earlier that Dean has saved two of his children from choking. This was the second time. The first happened five years ago – at a restaurant in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. His stepdaughter began choking on some food, when Dean performed the same abdominal thrusts to help her begin to breathe again.
And believe it or not – Dean also saved a choking stranger at a restaurant in Chicago nearly 12 years ago. He happened to be at the next table when she started coughing and signaling for help. Three times in the last 12 years Dean has been someone’s hero, simply because he knew the proper skills to save a life.
Dean says he learned First Aid through the Red Cross in Kansas City when he was a police officer in the early 90s. Today he works as the director of sales for AAA – but is grateful that he has been ready when those fateful moments presented themselves.