Carmel Hospital Staff Save Toddler Choking on Grape at Wedding
Translated & summarized from Alarab by baba
A two-year-old girl, Ann Tawil, was saved by Carmel Hospital staff after choking on a whole grape at a wedding in Asfiya. A nurse at the wedding and Magen David Adom paramedics initiated life-saving efforts before she was rushed to the hospital. Medical teams, led by Dr. Nitai Levy and Dr. Nikita Shekefin, successfully removed the grape, preventing brain damage. The family expressed deep gratitude to the medical teams, who also issued a warning to parents about choking hazards.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- A two-year-old girl, Ann Tawil, was saved by Carmel Hospital staff after choking on a large grape at a wedding.
- A nurse at the wedding and Magen David Adom paramedics performed initial life-saving maneuvers before hospital arrival.
- Dr. Nitai Levy and Dr. Nikita Shekefin successfully removed the grape from the child's airway at Carmel Hospital.
- The child was unconscious and in critical condition due to complete airway obstruction by the grape.
- The hospital staff and Clalit health organization warned parents about the choking dangers of whole grapes for young children.
A family wedding in the town of Asfiya turned into a scene of panic when a two-year-old girl, Ann Tawil, choked on a whole grape approximately 3 centimeters in diameter. The grape completely blocked her airway, causing immediate and severe respiratory distress.
In a dramatic rescue effort, a nurse attending the wedding, Salma Saray Al-Din Halabi, performed the Heimlich maneuver, allowing a small amount of air to reach the child's lungs. Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics arrived shortly after, finding the girl unconscious with a weak pulse and critically low oxygen saturation. Due to the grape's size and position, it acted as a valve, making removal with field equipment impossible. Paramedics focused on providing oxygen and rushed the child to Carmel Hospital.
Upon arrival at Carmel Hospital's pediatric emergency department, the child was in critical condition. Ann's aunt, Nabila Jaber, also a nurse in the department, had alerted the head of pediatrics, Dr. Nitai Levy, who immediately mobilized a full resuscitation team. The team, including Dr. Levy, Dr. Nikita Shekefin (ENT specialist), anesthesiologists Dr. Vitaly Borisovsky and Dr. Victoria Yusupova, and other medical staff, prepared for an urgent intervention.
Dr. Levy administered anesthesia, and Dr. Shekefin skillfully used specialized surgical forceps to extract the entire grape without it breaking apart. Once the airway was cleared and artificial respiration was initiated, the child's vital signs began to stabilize, and she regained consciousness. Dr. Levy described the event as a "medical and humanitarian miracle," praising the swift actions of the paramedics and the hospital team for saving the child without any brain damage.
The child's parents, Nur and Amri Tawil, later visited the hospital to express their profound gratitude to the medical staff. The hospital and the Clalit health organization reiterated warnings to parents about the dangers of whole grapes, cherry tomatoes, and other round foods for young children, advising that they be cut lengthwise into quarters and that children be closely supervised while eating.