‘God, Don’t Let them Watch Me Choke to Death’—Mom Urges Parents to Teach Kids This ‘Basic Life Skill’ After Close Call

A mother from Charlotte, North Carolina has an important message for parents this week about the importance of preparing kids for an emergency, after a choking attack left her completely dependent on her kids for help.

Lindsay Smith was home alone Monday with her three sons, Hunter, 8, Michael, 7, and Abe, 5, when she began choking on a small piece of bacon.

As a result of two separate neck surgeries she’s undergone in the past year, Lindsay says she chokes often, but it’s never happened without another adult around.

“The thing about choking is that you cannot call and ask for help,” Lindsay told me over the phone.

When the choking began, Michael was watching his show, but “by the grace of God,” Abe turned around and looked at his mom. At just 5 years old, he could tell something was off.

“I was not breathing at all,” Lindsay said in a series of Instagram stories. “I knew that in the next minute, if I could not get air, that I was going to pass out. So I had about a minute to figure out what I was going to do before that happened.”

With her phone in her hand, Lindsay dialed 911 and looked at Abe so that he knew mommy was not okay.

“I knew that if he saw 911, he would know that he needed to call and ask for help.”

Lindsay’s 8-year-old son Hunter was a 30-week preemie who suffers from several developmental and medical challenges including asthma, immune deficiencies, and epilepsy among other things. Because of his condition, the whole family has been first aid and CPR certified. Lindsay’s 11-year-old daughter Hannah was CPR and first-aid certified at the age of 7.

“Our children have to know that it’s not scary to call 911,” Lindsay says.


Bri Lamm
Bri Lamm
Bri Lamm is the Editor of foreverymom.com. An outgoing introvert with a heart that beats for adventure, she lives to serve the Lord, experience the world, and eat macaroni and cheese all while capturing life’s greatest moments on one of her favorite cameras. Follow her on Facebook.

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