At 11 years of age Azriel Estrabrooks from Rhode Island had her life ahead of her. She was a fun, charming, loving young lady, but during a birthday party an unexpected tragedy struck and took her life.
According to Fox 25, Azriel ate a marshmallow at a party, fell down the stairs, and managed to hit her head.
A Connecticut state trooper was at the party; her mother, rushing to the party, found him on the floor trying to revive her daughter.
Azriel was rushed to the Hasbro Children’s Hospital where doctors spent a few days trying to save her life, but eventually she died.
“The doctor said it’s a catastrophic brain injury,” said her grandmother Ione. “As catastrophic as that. She had to have been without oxygen for seven minutes.”
But the 11-year-old’s family isn’t convinced, and believes there is more to the story.
“We need to know what happened. We need to know why she was on the floor,” Ione said.
The last memory Azriel’s younger siblings have of her is in her hospital bed. “They crawled in the bed and watched movies with her. Held her hand,” Ione said.
A serious choking hazard
Marshmallows are a particularly notorious choking hazard. Because it is made with sugar and starch, it easily sticks to the back of one’s throat once it gets wet.
Not only that, it can slip down one’s windpipe, cutting off the ability to breathe. Once it is lodged into there, it is very difficult to remove it.
What to do when a child chokes
Give up to five back blows. Hit them firmly on their back between the shoulder blades. If back blows do not dislodge the object: This creates a strong vibration and pressure in the airway, which is often enough to dislodge the blockage.
Give up to five abdominal thrusts. Hold the child around the waist and pull upwards and inwards above their belly button: Abdominal thrusts squeeze the air out of the lungs and may dislodge the blockage.
If abdominal thrusts do not dislodge the object, repeat steps one and two.
Call emergency hotlines if the object has not dislodged after three cycles of back blows and abdominal thrusts.
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