A young woman from Minneapolis, Minnesota said to have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when she was 11 became a hero on Saturday for saving a McDonald's customer from choking.
Good News Network reported that 15-year-old Sydney Raley attended her shift at McDonald's Eden Prairie on January 1 like she used to for the last seven months. She has just given the first part of a drive through order when she noticed the customer, a woman, was coughing like crazy. Raley could see the the woman's daughter seated at the passenger's side of the car was in panic.
"She was coughing like crazy, and I noticed she was gagging. Her daughter was in the passenger seat and she looked so freaked out. I immediately knew 'Oh, no, she's choking.'" Raley recounted to CNN.
Instantly, Raley leaped out of the drive-through window to help the woman. She then got the woman out of the car and told the daughter to call 911. She recalled the Heimlich maneuver she learned during a class on Red Cross babysitter first aid that, KARE 11 said, "she learned four years ago yet one she was able to expertly recall."
Raley called in a "bystander" to help her performed the Heimlich maneuver on the woman. The maneuver successfully ejected the nugget from the throat of the woman, who was in shock but expressed deep gratitude to the quick-thinking hero afterwards.
"She remembered all of the training!" Raley's mother exclaimed to KARE 11.
"It's like a gift...she was autistic...she can remember everything, do anything. It's crazy," Raley's father added.
The responders-two police officers- arrived to find the situation resolved. They congratulated Raley for being a "lifesaver" and gave her $100 as reward. The officers gave Raley $50 each, coming from the police department's crime fund allocation for community members who "respond above and beyond."
"They gave me a hundred dollars. It's insane!" Raley recalled.
"They said, 'Congratulations you're a lifesaver; you're a hero.'" she added.
Raley's parents worried that something might have happened to their daughter, as she had autism, when they saw the police cars and ambulance at the scene. But they were happy to hear that she rescued a customer in need.
"We're so proud of her!" her mother revealed.
In line with the incident, McDonald's Eden Prairie Owner-Operator Paul Ostergard congratulated Raley for her heroism and commended her as "highly-valued" member of their branch.
"We are incredibly proud of Sydney and her quick, heroic actions over the weekend to help one of our valued customers. Sydney truly personifies what it is to be a hero and we are incredibly lucky to have her as a highly-valued crew member at our Eden Prairie restaurant location," Ostengaard said in a statement.
Raley disclosed that more than the reward she received, the incident made her see her self differently as she now feels she is a valuable member of society.
"I feel as though like I'm actually capable of contributing to society and actually capable of making a difference. You feel like a hero," Raley underscored.
