The protagonists of this story could not have imagined when they woke up in the morning that on April 27, 2022 they would remember that day for the rest of their lives. Fran, a officer for the Policía Nacional, saved the life of little Kevin, just 20 months old, who was choking in front of his mother, Isabel, in their own home in the Ibizan neighborhood of Sa Penya. Fortunately, Fran of the Policía Nacional was passing by and was able to help the child, saving his life and giving this story a happy ending for everyone.
Francisco Cordero, a 38 year old officer for the Policía Nacional from Malaga, was walking with his dog in the neighborhood of sa Penya, in the historic center of Ibiza town, when suddenly the screams of Isabel, Kevin’s mother, alerted him: “I was walking the dog in the neighborhood around 9pm. As I passed by the door of Isi’s house, I heard screams, although I didn’t know exactly what they were about. Isi came out with the baby in her arms and shouting ‘he’s choked, he’s choked'”.
Faced with this situation, Fran did not hesitate to act. He rushed to help the woman. Isi, at that moment, was very nervous and didn’t know what to do: “We were feeding Kevin. We were having spaghetti for dinner. Kevin took a handful and put it in his mouth. In his eagerness to eat it, it got stuck in his throat and he stopped breathing. At that moment I didn’t know how to react and I went out to the street to ask for help. Fran was just passing by and I gave Kevin to him”, explained Isi.
Lifesaving intervention by officer from Policía Nacional
The mother handed the child to the policeman. The child was not breathing and did not respond to stimuli: “At that moment I froze slightly, but thanks to the training program that we police officers have, where they teach us emergency assistance techniques, I knew how to react. I grabbed the little boy and tried to perform the so-called Heimlich maneuver, and fortunately he managed to expel the food that was trapped in his throat. The child was purple, not breathing and practically unconscious. It was a matter of seconds the time I had to react”, said the man from Malaga in the Ibiza police station yesterday, together with the mother and the little boy.
Fran placed the child face down leaning on his forearm. Once in this position, he proceeded to give him several blows on his back to help him expel the remaining of food that prevented him from breathing. After a few seconds, the little boy was able to expel the piece of food lodged in his throat, began to cry and the colour returned to his face.
The child’s mother, Isabel, has no words sufficient to thank him for what he did for her son: “I can only thank him. Thanks to Fran, my son Kevin is alive. If he had not been there, Kevin would surely not be here. I will be eternally grateful,” said Isabel.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.