It was a terrifying moment when a 10-month-old started choking on pancakes in a restaurant. Nothing seemed to be helping until one stranger jumped in with a life-saving device that brought the child back from the brink of death!
John and Jayne Koehler and their three children were enjoying a Sunday morning breakfast at Eggs Up Grill in Irmo, South Carolina. Their precious girls were dressed in bright pink, just like Mom. And the couple's son Gabriel was seated safely between his parents.
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Within moments, though, Gabriel gave his parents and everyone dining at Eggs Up Grill the scare of a lifetime!
Little Gabriel started choking on pancakes. Jayne and John explain that they initially weren’t too worried, thinking that the food would go down with a few pats on the back. But, that wasn’t the case. They gave hard back-blows and received help from a nurse and a CPR instructor.
The Heimlich maneuver was administered, but still, nothing worked. And within a few minutes of choking on the pancakes, Gabriel had turned blue and lost consciousness. Could anything be more terrifying?!
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Thankfully, Major Hillard was dining at Eggs Up Grill that morning as well.
Major is not a member of law enforcement or part of the medical community. He works in real estate. However, he is a dad who purchased a little tool known as the LifeVac for his own family.
When Major realized the boy was choking on pancakes and the seriousness of the situation, he immediately went to his car to grab the Lifevac he’d bought five years earlier.
Major shares that he asked Jayne to place Gabriel onto the table so that he could put the Lifevac in place. He is clearly emotional as he explains that it seemed this might be Gabriel’s last hope.
The Lifevac uses suction to “pull” the obstructing food from the airway. Major pushed in several times on the device, and, after several pulls, the pancake was free. Gabriel’s eyes popped open, and he was soon breathing again!
Guests at the restaurant that day offered whatever help they could as the child was choking on pancakes. Aside from those directly helping Gabriel, there were people attending to the couple’s girls and others offering comfort.
It’s a blessing that Major used his Lifevac for the first time on that day. It’s a blessing that God used Major!
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“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14
h/t: Godtube
Featured Image Credit: Youtube/Inside Edition
Hally is a freelance writer, blogger, and mental health advocate. A former school counselor, Hally works for a nonprofit that distributes tax dollars to mental health and prevention education providers that serve her county's kids and families. She's a contributor to a devotional and two essay collectives, and she shares resources and wisdom regarding parenting teens, mental health, faith, adoption, and more at http://www.hallyjwells.com where she strives to "Dig Deep and Reach High." She and her husband have three adult children and one rascally beagle pup. Hally loves travel, her book club sisters, personality tests, and a great glass of iced tea.