A mum who used to tell her daughter to “stop watching YouTube” has admitted she’s eating her words after the nine-year-old stayed calm, performed the Heimlich manoeuvre and saved her life
A mum admits she used to tell her daughter to “stop watching YouTube” – until the brave schoolgirl used it to save her mother’s life when she was choking.
Isabella Colle sprang into action when she noticed mum Stephanie Crespo desperately try to cough up a piece of strawberry she’d swallowed funny. Realising Stephanie couldn’t shift the piece of fruit, the cool-headed nine-year-old approached the IT worker and performed the Heimlich manoeuvre.
It’s performed by standing behind the choking victim and using your hands to apply pressure to the bottom of the victim’s diaphragm, before sharply pulling your hands upwards and inwards. Footage shows 42-year-old Stephanie desperately signal for Isabella to pass her her water bottle, before dropping to her knees in order to cough up the strawberry.
Isabella can then be seen rushing to bring her mum more water, while she reassures her screaming six-year-old brother that “it’s fine”. Stephanie, who eventually coughed up the fruit thanks to Isabella’s quick-thinking, said she was stunned by her daughter’s “tremendous” reaction after learning about it from a YouTube short.
Isabella, from Phoenix, Arizona, US, said: “I felt pretty calm – I did know what to do. I pressed my mom’s belly helping her to breathe. I saw what to do on social media – everything just pops up.”
The mum-of-two says it’s scary to think what could have happened if Isabella hadn’t acted so quickly – and is urging other parents to educate their children on how to react in a similar situation.
Stephanie said: “My first question to Isa was ‘Where did you learn how to do that? How did you know how to do that? Immediately she said YouTube.”
The mum recalled the incident: “As I was eating [an] ice cream, I started choking on one of the frozen strawberries. I got up from the couch because I couldn’t breathe so I was trying to cough it out.
“Isabella was on the other couch and her reaction was tremendous.” Stephanie added: “It was extremely scary.
“I didn’t know how to point it out to my kids that I have something in my throat. I kept hearing Matteo screaming and crying and going desperate but not doing anything about it, but Isabella was in charge of the whole situation.
“It probably lasted a little over a minute or so but it felt like an eternity.” Stephanie further shared: “It’s scary to think what would have happened if Isabella hadn’t known what to do and she hadn’t intervened.
The mum admitted: “I was extremely proud of my daughter – it was something that was unbelievable.” Isabella also recalled: “I calmed Matteo down a little bit and after everything when the choking hazard was finished we continued to eat the ice cream but my mom didn’t finish hers.
“It’s something other children should be aware of as well because what if their parents are choking and there’s no one to help?”
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