Two-year-old Ayyan Umar was grocery shopping with his mother when he found some grapes in the cart and ate them. His mom, Emma Carver, didn’t even see it happen. She had been picking out cheese and suddenly heard choking sounds coming from her son. She reacted quickly, but she was not trained in CPR.
Scary Mommy reports:
“I even threw the cheese down and I started banging on him,” Carver tells WXYZ, as she recounts her attempts to dislodge whatever was caught in his throat. “But it wasn’t getting it out, so it had to be lodged.”
Fellow shoppers came to their immediate aid with one calling 911 and another trying CPR on the little boy. EMS arrived only six minutes later and were able to remove one of the grapes, but by then, it was already too late.
The scariest part about Carver’s story is that this could happen to anyone. Babies and children put everything in their mouths, and the most mundane foods and items can get stuck in their tiny throats. That is why Ayyan’s parents are urging everyone to learn CPR.
You can sign up for courses through the American Red Cross. In my own town, a studio that hosts mommy and me yoga and kids cooking classes also offers a monthly CPR class. If you look, you’ll find that they’re everywhere. Do yourself a favor and take the three short hours you need to get certified. It can literally mean the difference between life and death.
At the very least, there are countless videos online that can teach you the basics in the event of an emergency with your little one.
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