SOUTH BEND — Fifteen-year-old Valeria Markiewicz was eating at Texas Roadhouse with her family for her mother's birthday dinner when she saw something alarming — an employee choking.
And also alarming was the fact that nobody seemed to know how to help.
The employee, Dekari Henderson, said he was talking with his manager while eating a steak kabob when he realized a piece had gotten stuck in his throat. His manager tried to help, Henderson said, but he couldn't dislodge the food.
Henderson said he'd almost drowned as a child, so he'd experienced what it feels like to be in a life-threatening situation. And when he saw his manager wasn't able to help him, Henderson said, he knew he was in another one.
"I looked back at him … and I honestly gave up that day," he said. "Sad to say, but I did, because I knew my life was fading."
But Markiewicz didn't hesitate.
"I was like, 'Oh my goodness, something has to be done,'" she said. "… He was turning purple, his lips were a different color. And so I ran over there, and I'm like, 'I'm CPR certified, I got this.'"
Markiewicz performed the Heimlich maneuver on Henderson, helping him expel the food and ultimately saving his life.
Henderson described Markiewicz as "a guardian angel," saying he wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for her.
"She beat the life into me," he said. "That's the best way I can explain it."
Markiewicz learned life-saving techniques in a high school class
Markiewicz recently finished her freshman year at New Prairie High School, and she said she was able to help Henderson because of one of the classes she'd taken.
During the year, she was enrolled in a biomedical science class taught by Tonya Aerts, who now works at Legacy Medical Academy after 19 years of teaching at New Prairie. Aerts, who won a national award this year for her work promoting sudden cardiac arrest preparedness, said Markiewicz and the other students in the class had just earned their CPR certifications in fall 2024 when the incident occurred in January 2025.
She said she remembered the day Markiewicz told her about what had happened.
"I come into work on a Monday morning, and there's Valeria standing at my door, which was unusual, and she was so excited to tell me, I quote, 'I saved a life this weekend,'" Aerts said. "And I was just so excited for her, but so impressed with her courage and her bravery to step up when other people didn't know what to do."
Aerts has been instrumental in encouraging Indiana schools to become "Heart Safe" by meeting set standards and conducting regular emergency preparedness training. She said this is the second time someone's life has been saved because of training at the New Prairie United School Corp.; when a parent collapsed in the parking lot of New Prairie Middle School due to a cardiac arrest over a year ago, school staff was able to respond and revive him, and he survived.
Aerts nominated Markiewicz for the LaPorte County Citizen of the Year Award, an annual award from the LaPorte County Emergency Medical Services that recognizes citizens who have made a difference in the community. In May, Markiewicz was named the award's 2025 recipient.
Markiewicz said she'd learned a variety of life-saving techniques in Aerts' class, including CPR, the Heimlich maneuver and how to stop bleeding. And it was because of Aerts' class that Markiewicz knew what to do, she said.
"Mrs. Aerts, she always taught us, if there was something there, and no one was running up, and if you knew how to do it, you should go run and do it," Markiewicz said. "… She really has a special place in my heart. Because of her, now I helped a life, and maybe I could help multiple more."
'Everything happens for a reason'
In the months since the incident, Henderson said, he's seen a significant change in his life. For one, although he said he's "not super religious," he's started attending church more.
Henderson said he takes care of his mother, who lost a lung during the pandemic. He said he's grateful to Markiewicz for saving him and allowing him to continue caring for his mom, adding that "everything happens for a reason."
"It truly was a blessing that she was there to save me, because without her, I don't know where my family would be; I don't know what my mom would be doing," he said. "… My mom, she's like my rock. Everything I do, I do for her. … I was literally about to lose her."
Markiewicz's school, New Prairie High, is also where senior Mark Mayfield collapsed in a school hallway and tragically died from a cardiac arrest in 2017. Mayfield's mother, Diane Mayfield, said from the perspective of a mother who has lost a son, it's vital that people know what to do in an emergency.
"You don't understand until it happens to you, but it's devastating. So any chance our children have to survive something is just priceless," she said. "… Just being prepared — and, you know, hopefully you don't ever need it — but just one life saved, it means the world."
And Markiewicz agreed, saying she's seen firsthand how learning life-saving techniques like CPR and the Heimlich can mean the difference between life and death. She said she believes everyone who can should earn their CPR certification, so they'll be prepared to respond like she did.
"It makes me more grateful that I got CPR certified and stuff," she said. "It makes me grateful that I learned all this, and I took the time to do it."
Markiewicz added that she wants to go into nursing as a career, giving her even more opportunities to help people.
She said the incident has changed her perspective, as well. In the moment, Markiewicz said, she felt a mix of pride that she knew how to help Henderson and relieved that he was OK. And in the months since, knowing that she can respond in a crisis has given her a sense of empowerment and confidence that she'd be able to do it again, she said.
"I've completed great accomplishments before, but nothing, like, ever this great before," Markiewicz said. "… I pass all my tests and everything, and that's a good accomplishment. But to step up this big, that's, like, something to be really, really proud of."
Email South Bend Tribune staff reporter Rayleigh Deaton at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: High schooler uses Heimlich maneuver to save Texas Roadhouse employee
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