Their Sunday could have turned into a tragedy. On October 5, Rosa, a young mother, and her partner left their friends in a small town in Doubs to return to Savoie. A journey that promised to be peaceful, their baby Ezekiel, six months old, installed in the back. But as soon as they left, a nightmare invaded the car: the little boy suddenly stopped breathing for no reason.
“They saw us completely panicked”
“Ezekiel was blue for almost two minutes”says Rosa, to Republican East still under the influence of emotion. “We didn’t have any first aid skills at all.” she laments. In panic, she stops the car on the side of the road and takes her son out of the car seat without really knowing what to do. But destiny has placed true heroes on their path.
Behind them, a couple stops. The two strangers recognize the absolute urgency. The woman then takes the baby in her arms, places him on her forearm, head down, before giving him small taps between the shoulder blades. A few seconds of eternity… then a breath. Ezekiel breathes. Life resumes its course.
“I think it was phlegm that was obstructing his breathing.”explains the mother from Grenoble hospital. “We do not yet know why this has taken on such magnitude, we are carrying out examinations“.
That day, Rosa just had time to hug the woman who had just saved her son before the couple set off again, as quickly as they arrived.
Actions that save: knowing how to react when a child is choking
Every year, hundreds of children narrowly escape death from suffocation. A wrong turn, a small object, a cough that stops… and everything can change. According to Dr. Gérald Kierzek, you must react quickly and correctly in the event of total obstruction (no sound, no crying, no coughing).
In infants, this consists of 4 stages:
- Call emergency services (15 or 112);
- Place the baby on your forearm, straddling, head down;
- Give up to 5 slaps between the shoulder blades with the heel of the hand;
- If this is not enough, turn the infant face up and perform 1 to 5 chest compressions with two fingers in the center of the sternum.
In an older child:
- Leave the child in the position where he feels best (often sitting, leaning forward);
- Give 5 slaps on the back, between the shoulder blades;
- If the obstruction persists, perform the Heimlich maneuver (only if you have mastered it).
Attention, calls back the emergency doctor, Never try to put your fingers in an infant’s mouth, as this may worsen the choking.”
When you save, it’s better to stay until the end!
The strangers therefore had the right reflexes at the right time. What saved Ezekiel! But when we provide help, it is not enough to intervene and then slip away. The best thing is to call emergency services and stay there until they arrive.
“Staying with the victim, their family, and transmitting the right information to the firefighters or the SAMU is part of the rescue action. The human presence reassures, supports, and sometimes saves a second time” emphasizes Dr. Kierzek.
Discreet heroes found on the networks
But what Rosa remembers today, beyond fear, is the generosity of these people who have not passed on. “These people were there at the right time. They gave us our son back. I just want to find them to say thank you.” A second time Rosa was heard. His appeal on social networks and in the newspaper bore fruit: thanks to online solidarity, parents found their benefactors. They were finally able to show them, eye to eye, all their gratitude.
Train yourself in first aid procedures
Rosa and her companion will never forget this Sunday, nor those who made the impossible possible. Their story reminds us that learning first aid is perhaps one day giving someone else the greatest gift of all: a saved life.
To learn how to react effectively, first aid training is available to the general public, in particular via the Red Cross or Civil Protection. Some are specially adapted for first aid procedures for children and infants. Actions that can save a life, whether at home, in a public place or on the side of the road.