SUFFOLK, Va. — What could have been an incredibly troubling Easter Sunday at George’s Steak House in Suffolk turned out okay because of a very special, quick-thinking server named Ashlin Dotson.
Cristine Dotson, Ashlin's mom, was at the restaurant that day and explained what happened.
"There was a customer who started choking," she said. "My daughter, Ashlin, got behind her in the booth and she just grabbed her from underneath, and she started going at it and eventually she cleared her airway, and she was able to breathe."
Ashlin didn’t hesitate that day and performed the Heimlich maneuver on a woman sitting in her section at George's. Ashlin just happens to be a trained EMT.
Her grandmother, Jauntia Gillis, told Jen Lewis she volunteered with Suffolk Fire and Rescue, so Ashlin knew exactly what to do in this emergency.
"She acted like it was not a big deal," Gillis said. "She just did it and I said, 'Ash, I’m so proud of you' and she goes, 'Oh it’s no big deal.'"
It was a big deal, however, and Ashlin's grandmother went on to say, "The girl was almost in tears. She was so happy. She said 'You saved my mother’s life.'"
Good news travels fast. Soon enough, Ashlin’s Aunt Patricia found out and nominated her to be a News 3 Everyday Hero.
"I felt that Ash was a true hero for what she had done for this person," Patricia said. "By doing that, she was able to save a life."
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Her bosses at George’s Steak House, two Victors, couldn’t believe what happened at the restaurant.
"When I walked in, she told me, 'I saved a life tonight' and I kind of laughed at her and was like, 'Yeah you did,' but then she told me, 'No a lady was choking,' and told me the story," Victor Taglis “Big Vic”, told Jen. "I was very proud of her."
"I guess her mindset just went straight to seeing somebody choke, [and she] saved their life," his brother, “Little Vic” continued. "So, she honestly did an awesome job."
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That awesome job took Jen to George’s Steak House in Chesapeake to meet Ashlin Dotson.
Jen, along with about a dozen of Ashlin's family and friends, were waiting for her when she arrived at work. They suprised her with the News 3 Everyday Hero Award and a $300 gift certificate from Southern Bank.
She was certainly shocked, but when Jen asked her about what happened on that Easter Sunday, she shared, "I heard the woman or heard her daughter talking to her asking if she was okay, and as soon as I heard that, I immediately looked and jumped up and was trying to get the object out of her throat. It was just kind of like a reaction, a normal reaction."
What turned out to be second nature to Ashlin was everything to the choking customer and her family. Ashlin's heroism offered an extra reason to celebrate Easter Sunday.
If you know someone doing a lot of good behind the scenes when no one is looking, like our new friend Ashlin, nominate them for a News 3 Everyday Hero Award in the form below!
News 3 Everyday Hero
