Over the years, AffinEco has spotlighted employees who go above and beyond the call of duty—performing extra work, finding and returning lost valuables, or sharing their positive attitude with others. Selvin Maldonado can check all those boxes, but the custodian for Norwalk, Conn.’s Wolfpit Integrated Arts School is being honored this month for something even greater: saving a life.
Last month, while on duty at the elementary school’s cafeteria, Maldonado was alerted to a first-grade boy who was having difficulty breathing. The 6-year-old was choking on his lunch. Instantly, Maldonado grabbed the boy and performed the Heimlich maneuver, dislodging the food and opening the child’s airway. In those moments when the young boy’s life hung in the balance, Maldonado didn’t hesitate.
“The child was already passed out. I talked to him and he didn’t respond. It was clear he couldn’t breathe. I was not thinking at all. I knew that I had to act to save his life,” said Maldonado, who has been a custodian at the school for four years. “I had first-aid training and learned CPR 15 years ago. This was the first time I ever had to [perform the Heimlich maneuver].”
Once the boy started breathing, Maldonado carried him outside the school cafeteria where he could get fresh air and rest in the sun. Maldonado stayed with the boy until an ambulance arrived about 10 minutes later and EMT’s checked the boy’s vitals. Acting out of an abundance of caution, they transported him to the hospital for observation. He was released not long after that.
The shock of the incident spread throughout the school. Principal Jacquelyn Aarons found Maldonado, hugged him and thanked him for saving the boy’s life. “She started crying. She was very emotional about what I did,” Maldonado recalled.
Xavier Vera, Maldonado’s AffinEco supervisor, said he was not surprised to learn that Maldonado had acted heroically. “What he did was amazing. He just reacted to the situation and did what had to be done.”
The Norwalk School Department thanked Maldonado for his heroism, spotlighting him in an email sent to the entire district. “We would like to honor and recognize him for his courage and his swift response, which saved the precious life of a child. We are very lucky to have Selvin as part of the [Norwalk Public Schools] team!”
The day after the incident, Principal Aarons walked Maldonado outside where the entire school body was standing and clapping. A video of the celebration shows the school’s approximately 300 students and teachers cheering as Tina Turner’s song “Simply the Best” played on a boom box. You can see Maldonado smiling, high-fiving the kids and hugging the adults. The celebration continued for 10 minutes.
“That was amazing,” Maldonado said.
Students at Wolfpit can look up the word “hero” in the dictionary and find these words: A hero is a “person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his or her brave deeds and noble qualities.” They can also look down the hall, or around the cafeteria, and see the smiling face of Selvin Maldonado to be reminded of what a hero really looks like.
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