The other day, I took my son Charlie to basketball practice.
When we got home, I popped into the kitchen to grab some orange juice. Sara had left some Mexican food on the counter, a basketball game was on the TV, my friend Turney was doom-scrolling Twitter on the couch, and Lazer was doing homework at the dining room table. Just a typical evening at the Itzler household.
But then, as I turned around, I saw Charlie tapping me, giving me the choke signal.
I asked, "Are you choking?" He gave me the signal again, his eyes bulging out. He was f-bomb choking. I immediately started doing the Heimlich maneuver, hard. I did it again and again, and then...
Rewind three or four months ago.
Out of nowhere, I realized we didn't have any safety protocols at the house. Our kids didn't know how to use fire extinguishers or even the choke signal if they were choking.
So, at the dinner table, I decided to start with the basics. I asked, "Does anyone here know how to give me a choke signal if you're choking?" They all said, "No."
I showed them how to put their hands to their throat, and then I made each one of them do it. I even went around the table twice to make sure.
Back to the story.
I did the Heimlich again, and finally, a chunk of food came out of Charlie's mouth, and he threw up. He was crying, but he was psyched to be alive. I was crying too, psyched that he was okay.
It was a stark reminder of how important it is to be prepared for emergencies.
So, here's my message to all of you: Out of the 8,760 hours in a year, carve out one or two to learn CPR and the Heimlich maneuver. It could literally save a life, maybe even the life of someone you love.
