A NORTH Belfast man has been described as a “hero” after he came to the aid of a young girl who was choking on a sweet.
Sonya Delaney was walking along the Whitewell Road with her daughter Sophia (7) earlier this month when the young girl began to choke on a Skittle.
As Sophia’s condition worsened, a panicking Sonya began waving down help from passing cars.
Local man John Lynch was driving down the road when he noticed something was wrong and came to the rescue of Sophia.
“I was driving down the Whitewell Road and I saw a woman and her child on the footpath in the corner of my eye,” he told the North Belfast News.
“I looked in my rear-view mirror and realised there was something wrong.
“I pulled the car over. The mother was in a terrible state. She said her daughter was choking after eating Skittle sweets
“The girl was crying but her airway was blocked. I tried hitting her on the back and then the Heimlich maneuver but the sweet wasn’t for moving.
“I was trying to be calm but inside I was petrified.
“We phoned an ambulance and I was still trying to help her. Eventually, she coughed and the skittle came up.
“I remember the first thing she said was, I am not going to die, am I?”
Mum, Sonya says she cannot thank John enough for his quick actions and says her daughter has described him as a “hero”.
“Sophia had come out of school and we went to the shop and bought a packet of Skittles,” explained Sonya.
“She was eating her Skittles as she was walking. One got caught in the throat and I was trying to wave people down.
“John came over and did what he did and the Skittle came out.
“It was a very frightening experience for us all. Sophia was scared to walk down the Whitewell Road for a while after and she won’t eat Skittles anymore which is not surprising.
“Sophia says John saved her life and she calls him her hero.
“I can’t thank John enough. I was trying to stop cars and beside me, Sophia was turning blue.”
A few days later, Sonya tracked John down on Facebook and this week Sophia gave John a card and a box of chocolates as a thank you gesture.
“I was just in the right place at the right time and happened to see them on the footpath,” added John.
“It just shows you what a wee Skittle can do. It could happen so easy to anyone.”
