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Lifestyle & Human Interest

Watch: Rookie TSA Officer Springs Into Action After Hearing Mother's Scream

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Cecilia Morales is no stranger to danger.

She’s made a career out of helping people in desperate situations, and has 10 years of experience as an EMT in New Jersey under her belt.

In October, she got a new job with the Transportation Security Administration. She was on duty at Newark Liberty International Airport when her training really came in handy.

As a mother passed through security, she picked up her 2-month-old from his carrier and discovered he wasn’t breathing. When she couldn’t rouse the baby, she started yelling for help.

Morales, who was standing nearby, acted on instinct. She jumped over a conveyor belt and immediately took the infant into her hands.

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She’d performed the Heimlich maneuver before on adults and children, but never a baby, according to a Dec. 23 news release from the TSA.



Morales later said the baby’s mother “was so nervous and I knew if I didn’t get over there, it wasn’t going to be a good outcome.”

It took two attempts, but Morales got the baby breathing again. A pediatric EMT arrived a short while later to administer oxygen.

“Two months on the job and she’s literally a life-saver,” TSA official Thomas Carter said. “Officer Morales’s quick reaction and actions helped ensure that this family will have a happy holiday season. Her actions were inspiring.”

“She’s truly a hero who reacted instinctively to save the infant,” TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said, according to the Miami Herald.



“If Officer Morales did not utilize her critical thinking, knowledge and quick response, perhaps we could have had a terrible outcome,” TSA manager Ayrana Frazier added.

“In the moment Officer Morales was selfless, and her priority was to save a life. We are proud to call her one of our own.”

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While saving lives is nothing new for the rookie TSA officer, she’d never seen herself like she did this time around.

“I saw the video afterward,” Morales said. “It was the first time I’ve ever seen myself in action, saving a life. It was mind-blowing to watch.

“I felt that my training and experience just took over.”

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Amanda holds an MA in Rhetoric and TESOL from Cal Poly Pomona. After teaching composition and logic for several years, she's strayed into writing full-time and especially enjoys animal-related topics.
As of January 2019, Amanda has written over 1,000 stories for The Western Journal but doesn't really know how. Graduating from California State Polytechnic University with a MA in Rhetoric/Composition and TESOL, she wrote her thesis about metacognitive development and the skill transfer between reading and writing in freshman students.
She has a slew of interests that keep her busy, including trying out new recipes, enjoying nature, discussing ridiculous topics, reading, drawing, people watching, developing curriculum, and writing bios. Sometimes she has red hair, sometimes she has brown hair, sometimes she's had teal hair.
With a book on productive communication strategies in the works, Amanda is also writing and illustrating some children's books with her husband, Edward.
Location
Austin, Texas
Languages Spoken
English und ein bißchen Deutsch
Topics of Expertise
Faith, Animals, Cooking




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