My ‘cheeky’ son died in my arms just moments after playing happily with tot – now I’m warning every parent
A 22-month-old died in his dad’s arms after choking on a grape given to him by another kid.
Little Zaire Bwoga’s dad was watching his youngest son, also known as ZaZa, playing happily by the water with another toddler on January 15.
The family were at Burns Beach in Perth, Australia, when the tot suddenly began choking – moments later, he was dead.
His dad, Brian, said ZaZa’s little toddler friend had shared grapes with him.
He is now calling for authorities to make it mandatory for warning labels to be placed on grape boxes and signs to be added in stores selling loose grapes.
Brian said he plunged into a deep depression immediately after ZaZa’s death and “didn’t want to live”.
“It all happened so quickly. Literally, within five minutes, my son was dead,” the dad told 9news.com.au.
ZaZa was a happy and cheeky boy loved by all, his father said.
“Life is short. It’s a cliche, but it’s true, it can be snatched out of you within minutes,” he added.
NOTHING COULD BE DONE
Brian was watching on as a “proud parent” when his little boy came over holding his neck.
Realising something was wrong, Brian jumped into action, managing to clear one grape from his boy’s throat.
But little ZaZa was quickly turning blue and appeared to be struggling to breathe.
“I tried CPR but nothing was coming up. He was holding me so tight,” Brian told 7NEWS.com.au.
“He gave me one final look, a smile, and passed away in my arms. He died in my arms,” Brian added.
Police and paramedics arrived, but nothing could be done to revive ZaZa.
After his son’s shocking death, Brian began searching for answers and was shocked to see the number of choking incidents happening in Australia.
Figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show there were 134 injury cases of choking and suffocation relating to food among children aged four and under in 2021-2022.
Choking happens when someone’s airway suddenly gets blocked, either wholly or partly.
Around 276 Brits died from choking in 2021, according to the Office For National Statistics.
The NHS recommends encouraging someone who is choking to cough if it is only a mild blockage.
If the choking is severe, you should give them five sharp blows behind their shoulder blades with the heel of your hand and perform five abdominal thrusts if not.
These involve standing behind the person choking, placing your arms around your waist, clenching your fist above your belly button and putting the other hand over that.
You should then pull sharply inwards.
The health service says you should ring 999 and ask for an ambulance if this does not clear the blockage.
CALL FOR CHANGE
In Australia, there are currently no labelling requirements relating to choking hazards.
This is something Brian would like to see changed.
Experts say the size and shape of grapes mean they can plug a child’s airway if not chewed properly and can be difficult to dislodge.
Babies and young children are particularly vulnerable to choking because their airways are soft and narrow, and they are still learning how to eat safely.
The 5 choking hazard lurking in your home
CHOKING is usually tops parents’ fears when it comes to accidents. And rightly so.
Young children have narrow airways and are still learning to chew, breathe and swallow in the right order. This puts them at a higher risk of choking than adults.
Knowing some simple steps puts you in the driving seat and lessens the worry.
Here are all the foods that pose a risk to your child:
- Popcorn can get easily stuck
- Marshmallows can get sticky when wet so can seal the airway and may not come out with back blows
- Round hard sweets (including mini-eggs) are slippery, so can easily be swallowed and completely block the airway
- Jelly cubes can get sticky when wet, so seal them in the airway
- Peanut butter globs can seal the airway, so only use it as a spread
- Whole grapes are the perfect size to block the airway and can be difficult to dislodge because of their flexible texture. Always cut them up
- Lollipops in effect, become a hard-boiled sweets if they come off the stick. So they’re best avoided for under-threes
Source: Child Action Prevention Trust
Since his son’s death, Brian has started an online petition calling on authorities to make it mandatory for warning labels to be placed on packaged grapes and signage to be added in stores selling loose grapes.
“Warning labels or a sign when purchasing grapes is a fairly simple thing,” Brian wrote on the petition.
“Regarding cost, a sign placed where shoppers can see when they select their grapes is a one-time expense that can last several years.
“It’s a priceless service if it saves a life.
“Ideally, we would like supermarkets and big chains to consider putting some choking hazard warning labels on (grapes), just like they do on toys and other things.”
Brian said he didn’t want other families to go through a similar tragedy.
What to do if someone is choking
Mild choking
If the airway is only partly blocked, the person will usually be able to speak, cry, cough or breathe, and may be able to clear the blockage themselves.
In adults:
- Encourage them to keep coughing
- Ask them to try to spit out the object
- Don’t put your fingers in their mouth
- If coughing doesn’t work, start back blows
In children:
- If you can see the object, try to remove it (but don’t poke blindly)
- Encouraging coughing
- Shout for help if coughing isn’t effective or the child is silent
- Use back blows if the child is still conscious but not coughing
Severe choking
In adults:
Where choking is severe, the person won’t be able to speak, cry, cough or breathe.
Without help, they’ll eventually become unconscious, so you should carry out back blows.
In children:
Back blows can be carried out on children under one year.
If this doesn’t work, chest thrusts can be started on kids up to 12 months old, and abdominal thrusts on those over one year.
Call 999 if the blockage doesn’t come out after trying back blows and either chest or abdominal thrusts.
Keep trying this cycle until help arrives.
Even if the object has come out, get medical help. Part of the object might have been left behind, or the patient might have been hurt by the procedure.
Source: NHS