Toddler Saved from Choking on Grape at Wedding in Dramatic Rescue
A two-year-old toddler from Isfiya survived a near-fatal choking incident at a wedding after swallowing a large whole grape. Quick response by a nurse, MDA paramedics, and Carmel Medical Center doctors successfully extracted the fruit, saving her without brain damage.
A two-year-old toddler from Isfiya experienced a life-threatening medical emergency during a family wedding when she choked on a whole grape, losing consciousness before being successfully saved by a multidisciplinary medical team.
The incident occurred at around 8:40 PM. The toddler, Ann Tawil, was sitting with her parents when she grabbed a whole grape about three centimeters in diameter and swallowed it. The grape became lodged in her windpipe, causing her to choke and stop breathing. Salma Sarialdin Halabi, a nurse attending the wedding, rushed to the toddler and immediately performed initial airway clearance procedures. While the intervention allowed the child to take a small breath, the grape remained stuck, and her condition rapidly deteriorated until she lost consciousness.
Emergency Response and Hospital Admission
Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics summoned to the scene found the toddler unconscious, with a weak pulse and critically low blood oxygen levels. Although paramedics attempted resuscitation and ventilation, the obstructing grape prevented adequate airflow. They managed to slightly improve her oxygen saturation before rushing her to Carmel Medical Center.
During the transport, Dr. Nitai Levi, head of the pediatric emergency department at the hospital, was briefed and prepared a shock trauma team alongside ear, nose, and throat (ENT) and anesthesia specialists. Upon arrival, Ann was unresponsive with a completely blocked airway.
Surgical Extraction and Recovery
Dr. Levi sedated the toddler and exposed her pharynx using specialized equipment, while Dr. Nikita Shkipin, an ENT specialist, used surgical forceps to firmly grip and extract the grape intact.
Following the removal of the obstruction, normal airflow to the lungs was restored, and the medical team successfully stabilized her. Dr. Levi described the outcome as a miracle, noting that the toddler had spent an extended period in extreme hypoxia with a total airway blockage caused by an unusually large grape. Thanks to the seamless chain of survival—from the nurse at the event and MDA paramedics to the hospital trauma team—the child was saved without suffering any brain damage.
This week, Ann's parents, Nour and Omri Tawil, returned to the hospital to express their profound gratitude to the medical staff. Health authorities reiterate that grapes, cherry tomatoes, and other round fruits pose a severe choking hazard to infants and young children, and must be cut lengthwise into quarters and closely supervised during consumption.
