On Saturday, August 17, O So Good co-owner Renae Thornton gave her husband the scare of a lifetime.
“Well, I wasn't going to talk about this, but the more the both of us think about it the more serious we take it and trust me when it happened it was damn serious,” Thornton wrote on Facebook. He wanted to go public with this news in order to let everyone know how important it is to be trained in the Heimlich maneuver, and how much he appreciates that his wife is still around.
Renae and Omar were at a catering event, and toward the end of the night, Renae started to choke on some leftover food, causing her to turn blue and pass out.
“As I went to grab her, yelling ‘Nae can you hear me’, her eyes rolled back and the rest of her face started to turn blue. She then collapsed into my arms, passed out and I tried my best to bring her to the floor softly,” he continued.
Luckily enough, Thornton is trained in the Heimlich maneuver, and despite the difficult positioning, was able to get a couple of good thrusts in. This was successful in dislodging the food, and Renae woke up with people standing around her.
“What the hell are you doing?” she asked, confused. Omar wrote that this is the only thing that can make him laugh about this situation. Renae, however, was more embarrassed than scared. She is grateful that Omar was able to do what he did.
If you have not yet been trained in giving the Heimlich Maneuver or CPR/First aid, the Sioux Falls Community Education courses begin in November. Visit http://commed.sf.k12.us to register.
