A mum has spoken out about the terrifying moment she nearly died after choking on her pub meal.
Lisa Heaven was dining at the Marion Hotel in Adelaide back in June when a beef rib became lodged in her throat.
Despite trying to wash down the food with wine, the bone wouldn’t budge.
Ms Heaven told 7News, ‘I was terrified. I just realised I couldn’t breathe and I couldn’t speak and I knew that it was big trouble.’
Friends, Ms Heaven’s partner Linton and bystanders all rushed to hit the mum on her back.
When the hotel’s manager Anna Hurley spotted Ms Heaven wheezing, she quickly called an ambulance.
It arrived in six minutes, but by this point Ms Heaven had turned blue and stopped breathing.
Paramedics gave her oxygen before using forceps to remove the food from her throat.
‘I thought I was going to die. I really did,’ Ms Heaven added.
The scary ordeal was caught on CCTV.
Paramedics said bystanders did the right thing by hitting Ms Heaven’s back. But if this method doesn’t work after a few attempts, it’s best to stop.
Rather than trying to remove the item or attempt the Heimlich Manoeuvre, the best thing is to keep the patient calm and call emergency services.
Talking about the rescuers, Ms Heaven said, ‘I’m just so grateful to them. There’s nothing I could ever do to repay them for saving me.’
