Loyola cafeteria cashier saves Emergency Department physician with Heimlich maneuver

CONTACT:

Allison Peters 
allison.peters@luhs.org
708-216-6140

MAYWOOD, IL – What began as a routine lunch break turned into a life-saving moment at Loyola University Medical Center when cafeteria cashier Keztly Angel sprang into action to help a choking physician. 

Joan Dimopoulos, MD, an emergency room physician at Loyola, had just stepped into the hospital cafeteria for a quick bite during a busy shift in Loyola's Emergency Department. After eating a chicken sandwich, she suddenly felt discomfort in her upper esophagus. While waiting in line to pay for a bottle of water, she attempted to drink it to relieve the sensation—but the food remained lodged, and she began to choke.

Earlier today, the two women reunited at a special ceremony attended by Angel’s two children and Dr. Dimopoulos’s mother. Dr. Dimopoulos presented Angel with flowers and expressed her gratitude. “I really wanted to say thank you to Keztly. I had a very scary event in our cafeteria. I couldn’t breathe, and she recognized that I gave the universal choking sign. She had the courage to help me," Dr. Dimopoulos shared with the group. 

"I’m just so grateful that you were there, and that you had the awareness and the knowledge and the courage to act," she said before embracing Angel.

Angel, who learned the Heimlich maneuver while a student at Proviso East High School, had never used it before. “I’m glad I was able to react quickly and be able to help her,” she said. Dr. Dimopoulos added, “It just goes to show you that you never know when you can help somebody.”

Just days after the incident, Angel marked her one-year anniversary as a cafeteria cashier at Loyola University Medical Center. “I love it here,” she said. “The team is amazing, and it’s a great environment to work in.”

Photos and video from the ceremony can be downloaded here: https://trinityhealth.canto.com/b/NU5OK