Local nurse saved from choking to death on a piece of chocolate
A piece of the chocolate got stuck in her airway, which then hindered her from breathing.
“Although I was afraid, I tried to remain calm because I wanted her to breath again,” said Elvis Phakathi (28), who saved the life of an experienced local nurse, Sharon du Toit.
Phakathi saved du Toit’s life at a Boksburg shopping centre on January 16 after she choked on a piece of chocolate that nearly cost her her life.
The nurse, from a medical centre, bought the chocolate at a nearby store and tried to eat it while walking as she was in a hurry.
While choking, the anxious woman ran into a liquor store at the centre as she realised that her life was at risk and she needed urgent medical attention.
Du Toit showed Phakathi, who works at store, that the object can be dislodged by alternating between five back blows between the shoulder blades and five abdominal thrusts.
Phakati then successfully performed the Heimlich manoeuvre. The nurse could breathe again and was given a glass of water to help her recover.
The brave man who saved the nurse explained that he has no medical experience or first-aid training.
“A woman came down the passage and couldn’t breathe. I saw a piece of chocolate in her hand and realised that she might be choking.
“She then showed me what to do. It was the first time in my life that I had to do the Heimlich manoeuvre, but I had to do something because it was a matter of life and death,” Phakathi explained.
“I’m just happy that she’s fine now. ”
Du Toit described Phakathi as a hero and said that she owes her life to him.
“I can now laugh about my near-death-by-chocolate experience, but it is something that I’ll never forget. I have never been so terrified in my life and I had to trust somebody who had no medical experience,” du Toit pointed out.
She added that the most important thing to do during an emergency situation is to remain calm and always try to assist the person in need.
