OKEECHOBEE — An off-duty ER nurse credits God with saving a toddler from choking Sunday morning during a church service at First Indian Baptist Church this week.

Ashley DeHart spends her days working in an emergency room and is no stranger to emergencies, but said it is always harder when it involves a child. DeHart’s husband Matt was scheduled to fill in as preacher at the church on Sunday morning, Feb. 23. The couple, along with their five children attended services at Everglades Baptist Church at 8:30 a.m. where Ashley and her daughter sang on the worship team and Matt preached a sermon. As soon as that service ended, the family headed out to First Indian.

Everything was going well, and the congregation was singing a song when Ashley heard a woman yell, “I think he’s choking.!” And then, “He can’t breathe!”

Several of the church members gathered around to try to help the toddler, who Ashley said appeared to be about 18 months old.

She said when the boy stopped making any noise at all, she knew he was in real trouble.  Ashley told them she was a nurse and asked them to give her the baby. When they handed him over, she flipped him over, held him and struck him on the back several times. Suddenly, he begins spitting and something came out of his mouth.

She checked him over, and when he seemed OK, she gave him back to his grandma. Ashley said she went back to her seat, and that’s when the adrenaline flooded her system, and she thought she was going to pass out.

“It’s just so different when it’s a baby,” she said. The congregation sang a praise song in their native language and then the service continued. Ashley said she was able to calm down and looked up to see her husband up on the platform ready to preach.

Ashley said she recently took the training needed to recertify in child first aid/CPR.

“It was all God,” she said. “It was all in His plan to have me there when I was needed.”

"I'm so grateful she was there," said the child's grandmother."God knew she would be needed that day. Never question the path he puts us on." She said the boy's Native name means, "Brings the Sun."

The American Red Cross offers online babysitting basics and advanced child care training. They also offer adult, child and baby CPR classes online. CPR