GARNERVILLE, NY – The following was posted by Town of Haverstraw Supervisor Howard Phillips:

I had a wonderful opportunity this past Wednesday to recognize a young lady who works as a waitress at Sparky’s Diner and without hesitation saved a person who was choking on food last week. Helen Medina, who is studying to be a nurse, jumped into action when she saw one of the customers choking. She immediately applied the Heimlich maneuver which cleared the woman’s throat. We presented Helen with a Distinguished Service Award and flowers for her courage and quick thinking. Thank you to Jeannie Nicolakis who brought this to our attention. We were joined by her father and sister who also work at Sparky’s. We wish Helen the greatest success in pursuing her degree to become a Registered Nurse!