Olivia with her mum Laura Chambers. CREDIT: Facebook
A mum’s Facebook message begging parents to cut up grapes has gone viral after she found her girl choking on one.
Laura Chambers described the horrifying moment she discovered her daughter Olivia, four, unable to breathe after a grape got lodged in her throat.
‘She was looking me dead in the eyes and her lips turned blue as she couldn’t breathe at all,’ said Laura.
It was the first time Laura had given Olivia and her older brother Oscar the snack without cutting them in half.
‘I figured- she’s almost 5, she isn’t the kind of kid to shovel food and choke, and I was rushing to finish cleaning the house.
So off she went up stairs with her bowls of snack to carry on playing with her brother,’ explained Laura.
However, after turning the vacuum cleaner off she was horrified to hear a strange noise from upstairs.
‘I knew in an instant what had happened. I ran to her. She couldn’t breathe,’ said Laura. ‘She had gone to chew a grape and it had shot to the back of her throat, gone down and got wedged. I turned her over and hit her as hard as I could between the shoulder blades and still nothing.’
Thankfully her partner Jamie managed to do a manouvre that sent the grape flying across the room and Olivia was left unharmed. But Laura wants her experience to serve as a warning to others.
‘Last night Olivia nearly died. And it was my fault,’ she said. ‘I lay here now watching her sleep I’ve cried most the night and my heart hurts as I look at her chest where there are still nail indentations from where she clawed at her throat for air.’
She finished her message with a stark warning.
‘PLEASE PLEASE let this be a reminder to all the parents out there – my life nearly changed forever last night all because of my carelessness #cutthegrapes.’
The Facebook post cut to the core of parents all over the world and the post has gone viral, being shared 59,000 times. Mnay parents have commented with their own stories of near misses of even tragedies that involved grapes.
‘My own daughter did this at two luckily my first aid brain kicked in and I turned her upside down and hit her as you said. It was terrifying and people need to know these dangers,’ said one mum.
‘My thoughts for your fright are with you. 20 years ago a good friend at work lost her beloved 3 year old son who choked on a grape. I’ve been paranoid about it since and welcome your post to raise awareness. I’m so glad that your child survived,’ added another.
‘Cut them Length way into quarters or just avoid totally,’ one advised.
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