Dispatcher Helps Daughter Save Choking Mom

A retired nurse’s daughters and an Orange County Fire Authority dispatcher were hailed as heroes today for saving the woman’s life when she began choking.

The woman, who is in her mid-60s, was having hot chocolate with her daughters in her Laguna Niguel home about 10:30 a.m. Sunday when she had difficulty swallowing a marshmallow and began choking.

One of the woman’s daughters called 911, and dispatcher David Paschke calmly talked the sisters through use of the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge the candy.

“My mom is choking,” the woman told Paschke in her call.

“Is that her in the background there?” he asked.

“No, it’s my sister. She’s trying to help her,” the woman replied. “She was drinking hot chocolate and it had a marshmallow in it and that’s all I know.”

Paschke repeatedly told the sisters to “stay calm” and then talked them through the anti-choking method of grabbing someone from behind and using a fist and jerking upward to dislodge a piece of stuck food in the esophagus.

After one of the women tried the Heimlich maneuver on her mom, she was initially doubtful about its effectiveness.

“I don’t think it’s helping,” she said.

“Keep doing it,” Paschke replied as he assured the women that paramedics were on the way.

Eventually, the victim was able to get a small bit of air through.

“Yes, she’s talking to me,” one of her daughters said.

“OK, let her cough,” the dispatcher said, adding the woman should not be given any water as liquids would just plug up the hole providing access to oxygen.

“You got it out, Gina, you did a great job,” the dispatcher told the victim’s daughter.

Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi said the outcome could have been very different.

“They were watching their mom die right in front of them,” he said. “David did an excellent job of giving them step-by-step directions on how to do the Heimlich maneuver.”

• City News Service
• Photo Credit: Shutterstock