A two-year-old toddler in Detroit, Michigan was left unattended while his mother was grocery shopping for cheese. She did not know that her son was trying to eat the grapes in their cart and would end up choking on them, WXYZ Detroit reported.
Ayyan Umar was trying to eat the grapes inside the cart, while his mother was away looking for another item in the store. His mother told WXYZ Detroit that she had no idea that her son was eating the grapes. When she heard him making choking sounds, she reportedly put the cheese down and “started banging on him.” She said she did strikes on his son’s back to remove the grapes from his mouth and throat.
One of the customers called 911 emergency, and another shopper did CPR to the baby. The CPR was, at first, successful as they were able to lodge one grape out of Umar’s throat, WXYZ Detroit added. But they came in late, as the baby has already died.
‘Bad dream’
Umar was brought to the nearby hospital and there, the second grape was lodged out. His father, Mohammad Umar told the Detroit media how he felt like it was just a “bad dream.”
“Maybe someone is going to wake me up. He sleeps on me and I see him around,” the father said. Various media outfits that reported the incident made remarks on how it is important for families to learn the proper first aid to avoid incidents like this.
Umar’s mother told Detroit media that they have now registered to take up first aid seminars.
They are also urging others to sign up for classes as well, as a precautionary measure.
The Heimlich maneuver
One of the first aid measures to relieve people from choking is called the Heimlich maneuver. According to its official website, there are several ways to perform the method depending on the need. The person only has four minutes to deal with the choke, as it causes brain damage and death.
To perform the maneuver to a standing individual, the companion should wrap his or her arms around the waist of the victim. Then, he or she should clutch the hands to a fist and place the fist’s thumb side against the upper abdomen of the choking person or, just below the ribcage and above the navel, the website added.
Then, the fist should be grasped with the free hand and pressed onto the abdomen with speedy and upward pressures.
It is important that the rib cage is not squeezed, and the companion should place the force to his or her own hands. The process should be repeated until the victim expels the object, and is relieved from choking.
