06/01/2024
MY HERO OF THE DAY: Susan Marie Magill, my daughter! Susan saved my life an hour or so ago when I was choking on a piece of candy! It was a chocolate Tootsie Roll Miniature (about 2 cm / 1 inch long) and I was chewing on it as usual in its soft-delicious state and when I swallowed it, it got STUCK about half-way down my throat! I have a medical condition called "Sjogren's Syndrome" (inherited) that sometimes causes my throat to get "confused" as to whether it was sending something DOWN or UP and it "forgets" which way to go and "oscillates" back and forth and achieves no progress either way, cutting off air supply.
Now LOGICALLY, I know not to panic and just give it a few moments to where the confusion stops, but in a moment of not being able to breathe that can become QUICKLY forgotten. Susan was standing nearby so I made a sound and waved at her and she ran over and delivered several precisely delivered back strikes that released the situation. Still, afterwards, it took several minutes for things to normalize, and I'm doing fine now.
The point of this little story is this: If someone chokes, make SURE you know what to do, and if you don't know, get yourself to a basic first-aid class and LEARN IT. It could save the life of someone you love or even a total stranger and takes very little time to learn.
Once again, my Hero Today's name is Susan Marie Magill. If you know her, send her a "WEll DONE!" message for saving me!
Mark R. Magill -- One Proud Papa.
