Gerlinde Joos (32) from Houthulst is a mother of three children and son Nathan (5) is a big fan of Metejoor. That is why he was allowed to go with her to Middelkerke last Friday evening, where Metejoor performed in the Proximus Pop-Up Arena. Things went wrong for Nathan there, but luckily help came from the audience. Evelien Serpieters (40) turned out to be the saving angel.
Before the concert, Nathan was allowed to choose some candy from his mother. “He chose a bag of small, hard sugar balls. During the last issue of Metejoor, however, he had put too many bulbs in his mouth at once and things went wrong. Suddenly he made a sign that he couldn’t breathe. A candy ball got stuck in his throat”, Evelien tells the story of what Nathan’s mom told her afterwards.
Reflex
Evelien Serpieters (40) from Koekelare had seen everything happen. She and her friend Sofie were sitting in the concert hall at the same height as Nathan and his mother. “I noticed that three people walked out with a child when Metejoor was working on his last song,” Evelien explains. “In a reflex I followed them and immediately asked if everything was okay, but immediately got the answer that Nathan was choking. I work in an out-of-school childcare facility and receive a first aid course every two years. So I knew I had to perform a Heimlich maneuver. The first time my attempt failed, but the second time I was more successful and it was bingo. The candy ball popped out.”
“I am not a heroine and I did what I had to do” – Evelien Serpieters
“I’m not a heroine and I did what I had to do”, Evelien waves away all praise. “Because that is a bit scary. Especially since no one else apparently noticed anything and therefore no one called an ambulance or tried to reach the first aid post. Fortunately, everything ended well. Afterwards I went to Metejoor’s fan stand and bought a bag and a card there and gave it to the little one, so he still had a positive memory of his ‘Metejoor’ evening. (laughs). The next day, after some research on Facebook, the parents managed to find me to thank me and to say that Nathan is doing well, except for some sore throat and pain in his ribs.”
Second time
It is remarkable that it is already the second time that Evelien had to perform such an intervention and this in a similar situation. “A few years ago, an even younger child was choking on a chip at the football club where I was present. Even then I managed to successfully perform a Heimlich maneuver”, concludes Evelien. (EV)
2023-08-21 09:23:45
#Evelien #saves #life #Nathan #Metejoor #concert #Middelkerke #KW.be
