Nicalet Wilkerson, the manager at Bliss Box, relied on quick instincts to save the baby’s life in a moment she says she will never forget.
ORANGE, Texas — From fast food to fast actions, a restaurant manager in Orange became an unlikely hero when a frantic mother pulled up to the drive-thru window with a choking infant.
Nicalet Wilkerson, the manager at Bliss Box, relied on quick instincts to save the baby’s life in a moment she says she will never forget.
“It was a typical Saturday afternoon,” Wilkerson said, describing the events leading up to the life-saving moment.
She noticed something unusual when the woman arrived at the drive-thru window holding the baby.
“I told my coworker, I was like, something’s definitely going on with the baby. I thought maybe it was acid reflux at first, though, with the way she had the baby out the window, patting its back,” Wilkerson recalled.
The desperate mother handed the baby over to Wilkerson, who, despite having no medical training or children of her own, acted on instinct.
“I thought, ‘This can’t be happening,’ you know what I mean? And when I opened the window, she was already handing me the baby,” Wilkerson said.
With the baby’s life literally in her hands, Wilkerson remained calm and acted quickly.
“I’ve never had someone hand me a baby and say, ‘Can you try to save my baby?’ It was just, ‘Try to save the baby.’ Try to save it. What can you do? I mean, you can’t hand it back. You do what you can do,” she said.
After a few pats on the baby’s back, the infant let out a cry, a sound that brought relief to Wilkerson and the child’s mother.
“After a few pats, it really cried. And I knew my mom used to tell me, when we were young, like, ‘If you could cry, you ain’t choking,’ you know what I mean? So that’s when I felt safe. Then I handed him back to his mother,” Wilkerson explained.
The emotional moment left both Wilkerson and the mother in tears of relief. It also earned Wilkerson an early exit from her Saturday shift.
“I was supposed to get off at five. It happened about four. I was like, yeah, I’m probably just going to go ahead, head to the house right now. You never know what you’re going to do when somebody hands you a baby that says, ‘Save their life.’ So I’m very proud of myself,” she said.
The mother thanked Wilkerson before driving off before Wilkerson could get her name, leaving her to reflect on the extraordinary moment.
Wilkerson expressed her gratitude for being able to help and wished the mother and baby health and happiness.