When medical emergencies occur outside of a hospital, people usually yell, “Is there a doctor here?”
Fortunately for Jerry Silverman, Dr. Steven Fox, a veterinarian and fellow Atlantic Beach resident, was in Anthony’s Restaurant in the village last Saturday night when Silverman began choking on a piece of chicken.
“I don’t remember too much, something got lodged in my throat and I went to drink a glass of water and started choking,” Silverman said. “The last thing I remember is someone had their arms around my waist.”
That was Fox, who was called over by Lynn Aaronson, who was dining with Silverman. “I waved for him to come over and he took over,” said Aaronson, who knows Fox as her late husband, Morty Aaronson, was also a veterinarian.
Fox applied the Heimlich maneuver when he recognized certain signs, including Silverman’s body going limp. “He’s passing out and choking, so I delivered one or two back thrusts like burping a baby, then the Heimlich and with the second thrust he ejected the piece of chicken,” Fox said.