LYNCHBURG, Va. – A Lynchburg woman is grateful to be alive after two police officers saved her life while she was choking.
On Wednesday, 10 News was there for an emotional reunion between Alexandria Johnson and Lynchburg police officers, Austin Rowland and Michael Johnson.
“I believe God puts people in the right places at the right time,” said Alexandria.
During a disturbance investigation in July, the police officers noticed the mother of two was choking and turning blue.
“I wasn’t able to communicate. I wasn’t able to do nothing but wave my arms. Then all the sudden, I stopped waving and that’s when he realized something was wrong,” said Alexandria.
Rowland, a three-year veteran, immediately jumped into action giving the 29-year-old the Heimlich maneuver while Officer Johnson catered to her daughters.
“At one point she said it was in her nose. So, I said let’s not breathe through your nose let’s focus on getting some breaths in,” said Rowland.
“I just made sure they watched from a distance and let them know that everything was okay,” Officer Johnson said.
With help from Officer Johnson, the family surprised the officers with balloons and cards of appreciation a month later.
Weekend surprise! Earlier this summer, Officer Mike Johnson and Officer Austin Rowland were handling a late night call...
Posted by Lynchburg Police Department on Saturday, September 5, 2020
In Rowland’s card, Alexandria left a picture of herself to remind him of a life he saved during his career.
“To have that memorabilia to say like, ‘hey without you that person wouldn’t be here’ That’s awesome I’ll never forget it,” Rowland said.