Local woman turned son’s choking scare into a business

CHATANOOGA, Tenn. (WSMV) - A Tennessee mom took her young son’s choking emergency and channeled that scare into developing a product that is now selling globally.

“It was sheer panic,” Felicia Jackson said. “It was SHEER PANIC!”

A mother of three, Jackson vividly remembers that day, and how a normal family drive quickly took a frightening turn.

“I look back and I noticed that my baby, who was 2-years-old at the time, was choking,” Jackson remembered. “He was trying to cry but nothing was coming out.”

Little Markel lost consciousness, but Jackson worked in the medical field, was CPR certified and knew what to do…but she panicked.

“I look into my baby’s eyes, and I forget all of my training,” Jackson admitted.

It would become a moment that changed her life forever.

Thankfully, Jackson’s son is ok, but the potential life-or-death scare led to her creating the “CPR Wrap,” which is an overlay with simple, easy-to-follow CPR instructions.

“It’s an all-in-one disposable CPR template, that allows any person, man, woman and child to perform CPR at a moment’s notice,” Jackson explained. “Place hands here (push down 2+ inches 30 times and repeat steps 1 through 4″

An invention so impressive, Jackson’s “CPR Wrap” won the “Pitch for Good: Tennessee Tough” competition that included a yearlong Titans sponsorship.

She has sold more than 10,000 CPR wraps globally and now she is moving her start-up, Chattanooga business to Madison.

Jackson’s advice for other women:

“Don’t wait for affirmation to do what you love, to do it, execute on it. "

Jackson talks about creating a “TEAM YOU” to help you push through the hard times, and never stop.

Her next product, expected by the end of this year, is a CPR Wrap for dogs, called CPR Canine.

For more information, you can visit her website at: www.cprwrap.com

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