Grandma, grandpa, aunties, uncles, and cousins all sit around the big dining room table, laughing and enjoying sausage and spaghetti. Little one-and-a-half-year-old Grace sits in her highchair, trying to move the slippery spaghetti from the plate to her mouth, when suddenly she realizes a sausage is stuck in her throat. She cannot breathe; she cannot make a sound. She desperately tries to get her parents’ attention, finally pointing to her throat, and mom Kelly shouts, “Grace is choking!” Dad Aaron quickly grabs little Grace, holds her up-side-down, and then gives a forceful back blow. The sausage shoots out of her mouth onto the table. Grace takes a huge gasp of air, thankful to breathe again and for her dad’s quick action. A few years later, Grace’s younger sister, Olivia, who was then three-years-old, is sitting at the table with her parents and another family, nibbling on some orange pieces, when the debilitating feeling of choking overcomes her. Her breath stops. Dad Aaron comes to the rescue again, holding Olivia up-side-down and giving firm back blows until the orange shoots out of her mouth. “As a parent, you know when your child is choking,” says Aaron Schaffer. “Don’t panic. Try to stay calm. We are thankful the back blows worked for us.” Choking is a leading accidental cause of injury or death among children, per the American Academy of Pediatrics. When food or a foreign object, like a toy, blocks a windpipe, a person is unable to breathe or talk. While he or she may be able to signal for help, like little Olivia pointing to her throat, after four minutes, the brain begins to suffer irreversible damage from the lack of oxygen, and eventually death occurs. by Stephanie Frank As a parent, you know when your child is choking. Don’t panic. Try to stay calm. 132 HAWAII PARENT March/April 2024
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