First Aid Training Pays Off

This trip to South Africa was very significant for me in many ways. I had some really amazing experiences and I saw some fantastic sights while we were there. The trip also provided some firsts for me. One of the more memorable first-time experiences happened after we completed the Argus Cycle Tour.

Sam and I have been fans of a South African band called Goldfish for a couple years now. Sam’s brother Brett put us on to this duo and we’ve been enjoying their music ever since. Their music has a lot of energy with a beat that makes you want to move your feet. Needless to say, we were thrilled to learn that they were playing a concert after the Argus at the Kirstenbosch Gardens Amphitheater. This beautiful venue hosts a summer concert series in Cape Town and the scenery is even more amazing than the tunes.

The stage backdrop features incredible views of the back side of Table Mountain, and from the looks of the foliage they must keep the gardening staff running full speed seven days a week. The stage faces a huge grass hill where attendees spread out blankets and picnic baskets to enjoy the show. Everyone drinks and snacks and generally has a great time. We had enlisted the help Sam’s parents to score some of the only shade available on the hill. They had gotten to Kirstenbosch hours earlier with Melinda and Valerie to ensure our comfort after our long bike ride.

We arrived before the music started and got into position on the hillside under the coveted shade trees in the shadow of the towering mountain peaks above. It truly was an epic scene, and I hope the pictures give you a good sense of the majesty of the moment. Goldfish took the stage and quickly got us all tapping our feet and fingers. I had brought some pretzels to snack on, so I passed them around to the group. Everyone took a few and I settled back in to watching the show.

After a few minutes I noticed that immediately to my right Van was sitting up and seemed a little uncomfortable. I watched his profile for a minute and I could see that his eyes were starting to water behind his glasses. He was sort of moving his head back and forth like a bird trying to swallow a fish. I tapped him on the shoulder and, shouting over the music, I asked him if he was alright. He turned his head and looked at me with real fear in his wide open, watering eyes and shook his head “NO!” He actually looked like he was holding his breath.

I paused for a moment to comprehend what was happening. I had asked if was ok and he said no. No? People rarely say no. They always say yes. Something was wrong. It took a couple seconds for me to comprehend. Then I asked the more important question.

“Are you choking?”

Unable to speak, he frantically shook his head “YES!” with the same fearful look as before. I had my answer and much to my surprise, I sprung into action throwing my leg around him to move into position for the Heimlich Maneuver.

Now, I actually had to look up how to spell “Heimlich” but I knew how to perform the maneuver. I have been through numerous first aid classes and they teach this life-saving trick in every one of them. I just never thought I would have to actually do it. It’s amazing really how training can kick in before you actually think about things.

I reached around Van, locked my hands together and gave a big thrust. Nothing. I did it again, and this time, he put his hand up as if to say, “ok, that worked.” I relaxed a little to reflect on what was happening, but before I could let go of him, he frantically waved his hands again to signal that he still couldn’t breathe. This time I gave him my best shot, thrusting hard up into his diaphragm. It worked just like they said it would! The pretzel was dislodged and he was able to breathe normally again.

Satisfied with a job well done, I moved back onto my blanket and resumed watching the concert. Van leaned over and thanked me for the maneuver. I told him he was very welcome and that was that. Everything was back to normal. Neither of us seemed to want to make a big deal out of it. It was a little surreal actually. Everything was going on like nothing had happened, but in reality, we had avoided a tragedy. Both of us had done just what we were supposed to do in that situation. He answered the questions correctly. No, he was not alright and yes, he was choking. I had done what I was told to do in my first aid classes. It happened like it should have. It actually seemed to happen very quickly.

Little did I realize that while Van and I were having our little experience, the others in our group thought I was clowning around. They thought I was just being silly when I jumped in behind Van to give him a big hug. They must have really thought I was being stupid when I started heaving on him. It took the others a few minutes to realize what was really happening. I imagine that there was a point when the smiles turned into frowns as the reality of the situation sunk in. Luckily, no one made a big deal out of any of it.

After I went back to my own blanket and Van regained his composure, people started checking in to confirm what they had just seen. It’s not every day that you see someone doing the Heimlich maneuver and I think everyone wanted to know if they had really just witnessed the procedure. Of course, everyone wanted to make sure Van was ok, and he was. I didn’t ask him later if there were any long lasting effects from the experience, but it didn’t seem to me that there were. I didn’t break any of his ribs. He seemed to be fine with eating and drinking food. Everything was great. I was thrilled that Mr. Heimlich’s procedure had achieved the desired results, but I don’t think I was quite as pleased as Van.

I don’t tell you this story because I want to make a big deal out of it. I tell you this story because I want you to realize that the things they tell you in first aid training really do work. So, pay attention and learn the basics. All of us should be able to do what I did, just as I did it. That is the first time I have actually had to do the Heimlich maneuver and I hope it’s the last.