choke on this

Ever choke on food? I mean seriously choke on food where you needed assistance in order to continue living this human experience? Proof that traumatic events, even not-so-overly-traumatic ones, can stay with us I have a vivid memory of the one day I seriously choked. When I was a kid hanging out at my childhood friend Krista's house (she lived right behind me, so I just had to hop the fence) her mom made some hot dogs for lunch. Lo and behold, I took a bite and it went down the wrong pipe (probably due to being distracted by the deep and intriguing conversation of eight year old girls).. I remember not being able to breathe or cough but remaining strangely calm. Krista's dad acted quickly, moved me to the edge of the deck and performed the Heimlich Maneuver on me dislodging the obstructive meat-like conglomerate from my windpipe. I remember my eyes were teared up but wasn't upset afterwards. Thanks to Mr. M, you are able to read my stupid tales and ranting blogs. And, boy, did that hot dog chunk fly! I couldn't eat hot dogs for a while after that.

Here's some interesting info: 

On this day in 1974, Henry Jay Heimlich published his "Heimlich Maneuver" in the Journal of Emergency Medicine. The article was called "Pop Goes the Café Coronary." Less than three weeks later, the maneuver was used successfully in a restaurant in Bellevue, Washington. As of 2006, the American Red Cross recommends the "five and five" approach: five sharp blows to the back, followed by five abdominal thrusts if the back blows are not effective.
Heimlich's son Peter has dedicated a website to exposing what he calls his father's "50-year history of fraud." He writes: "At age 48, I came to realize that my father was a danger to others and to himself. Since then I've done what I could to bring the facts to public attention in order to expose the 'poison ideas' circulated by my father and his cronies, a motley crew of hacks, quacks, and narco doctors." Among other things, he accuses his father of stealing the "Heimlich maneuver" from a colleague, faking his medical credentials, and deliberately infecting people with malaria to cure them of AIDS, cancer, and Lyme disease.
(The above section from The Writer's Almanac 6.1.2011)

In honor of this day, go choke on something but remember this sign: