Mohamed Nassar, 58, was working at the Tesco Express store on New Bailey Street in Salford, Manchester, when he choked on a doughnut and suffered a cardiac arrest, dying 44 days later
A Tesco security guard who suffered a cardiac arrest after choking on a doughnut while at work has tragically passed away, his heartbroken family have confirmed.
Mohamed Nassar, 58, was on duty at the Tesco Express store on New Bailey Street in Salford, near Manchester city centre on Friday, May 8, when the tragic incident took place.
He needed to eat in order to take some medication he was prescribed and began eating a doughnut before choking and collapsing on the shop floor, causing fellow staff and customers to ‘scream’, a family member revealed. Paramedics rushed to the scene and Mohamed was resuscitated before being transported to hospital.
However, his heart stopped for 23 minutes which his loved ones say resulted in severe brain damage, reports the Manchester Evening News. He never regained consciousness and after his ventilation was withdrawn, he sadly died on Sunday, June 22.
His devastated family have now spoken of their grief as they paid a touching tribute to a ‘wonderful person’ who was ‘deeply loved’.
In a statement given to the Manchester Evening News they said: “We are all absolutely devastated and heartbroken by the loss of Mohamed Nassar. His passing has left a huge void in our family, and we are still struggling to come to terms with what has happened.
“Before he passed, our dad spent 44 days fighting, and it was incredibly hard for us to see him like that. Throughout those difficult days, we held onto hope and never stopped believing he would pull through.”
Father-of-three Mohamed and his family relocated to Manchester from London in 2020 and reside in Ardwick. Previously a musician, he works for a third party security firm where he has been employed for approximately five years.
His 23-year-old son Seif Abdelwaneis revealed his mum, Nancy Elkarnshawy, and his sisters Nariman, 28, and Malak, 14, were left stunned when they received a phone call informing them he had collapsed at work.
The family described feeling ‘overwhelmed’ by the ‘love, prayers, and support from so many people’ during his hospital stay and said they ‘want to sincerely thank everyone who kept him in their thoughts and prayers. ‘.
“Your kindness, encouragement, and support meant so much to us during the hardest time of our lives” they said in their statement issued following his death.
“As a family, we are not only grieving but are also facing significant financial difficulties as a result of this tragedy. We continue to search for legal assistance and support but have unfortunately had little luck to date.
“Above all, we want people to remember him for the wonderful person he was. He was deeply loved by his family and friends, and his loss is felt every day. We miss him terribly and will carry his memory with us always.”
Osarugue Onaghise, the manager of the Manchester Bailley Express Tesco store, expressed: “On behalf of all our colleagues at our Manchester Bailey Express store, we remain deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Mohamed.
“Our thoughts remain with his family and friends at this difficult time.” Donate to his family’s fundraiser here.
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