Rhyl mum hails neighbour a hero for saving life of choking baby

The mother of a baby whose lips went blue as he choked on a sweet has hailed her neighbour a hero.

Peter Dudley leapt into action when frantic Natalie Cunliffe ran outside with her 21-month-old son, Hanson in her arms after a jelly sweet got lodged in his throat.

The father-of-three took hold of the youngster, who was struggling to breathe, and patted him on the back to dislodge it.

The 41-year-old from Rhyl has since received a letter from the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust commending his life-saving efforts.

But no one could be more grateful than 22-year-old mum-of-two Natalie, who credits Peter with saving her son’s life.

Speaking to the Daily Post, she said: “I gave Hanson and his brother a packet of jelly sweets each and Hanson started choking on one of them.

“Suddenly, his lips went blue and I went into a blind panic, I tried to pat him on the back but nothing happened, then his nan took him off me and she tried too, but she couldn’t manage to dislodge it either.

“I called for an ambulance and ran out into the street with him desperate for help.

“Thankfully, my neighbour, Peter was sitting outside his house. He just got straight up, took Hanson off me and patted his back and managed to get the sweet out.”

An ambulance arrived at the scene shortly after the 999 call and Hanson was taken to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd for a precautionary check up and was discharged a little while later.

Natalie added: “Luckily, Hanson is okay after the ordeal.

“I’ve done the first aid baby course but in my panic my mind just went blank.

“I’m so glad that Peter was there.

“He’s a true hero. He saved Hanson’s life and for that, I am so grateful.”

But Peter said he just did “what anyone else would’ve done.”

“I was sitting outside my house when Natalie came running out,” he explained.

“When I realised what was happening, I just said: ‘Give the baby to me,’ and stood him up to pat him on the back.

“When that didn’t work, I put him across my knee and carried on patting him until the sweet came out.

“I did what anyone else would’ve done really. I’m just happy he’s okay and that I could help clear his airway.

“I don’t have any first aid training or anything, instinct just kicked in and I stayed as calm as possible so not to panic Hanson.”

Days after the incident, Peter received a letter from the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust praising his “incredible actions” and asking him if he would consider volunteering as a first responder.

The letter from Sonia Thompson, interim head of operations, states: “I have been approached by a member of staff who has told me about the incredible actions you took to save the life of a child and I felt compelled to write to you to offer my sincere thanks and appreciation.

“We receive hundreds of calls a day to people with a life-threatening illness or injury and they need quick-thinking intervention in order to survive.

“The ambulance crew that came to the family and your assistance were overwhelmed by your actions and as such, I felt that a formal letter of commendation was deserved in recognition of everything you did.

“If you haven’t already considered it, perhaps you would consider becoming one of our Community First Responders.”

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