An employee at a Red Deer restaurant had to act fast in order to save a customer’s life.
Kade Kully, 18, was working an afternoon shift this past Friday at Cowtown Beef Shack, which is located off of Timberlands Drive and Highway 11 in the northeast part of the city.
A regular customer, Janet Welch, came into the restaurant around noon for lunch. While she was eating, she began choking on her food.
“I couldn’t breathe. I knew immediately I was in trouble,” Welch told The Advocate.
“I ran to the front of the restaurant, opened the cooler door (behind the counter) and grabbed a bottle of water. I was hoping if I had a drink a water I could wash it down, but it didn’t budge.”
At that point, Welch was started to feel like she was about to pass out. That’s when Kully stepped in to help.
“I asked her if she was OK and she didn’t say anything. She kind of went back to the table and I saw her take a sip of water – all of it came out of her mouth,” said Kully.
“I could tell something was obviously wrong and I was pretty sure she was choking. I go around the counter and ask her again if she’s OK – she’s not saying anything and is having trouble breathing. I finally ask her if she needs the Heimlich maneuver and she nods her head.”
Kully performed the maneuver and Welch coughed up the food.
“I acted on reaction more than thought process,” Kully explained.
“If I would’ve called an ambulance or something, I knew they wouldn’t have been able to get there in time. You can’t live on no air with how long it takes them to get here.”
Kully said he is planning to study in Medicine Hat to become a paramedic.
“I always have liked the idea of helping people. That’s one of the jobs I’ve always wanted to do since I was a kid,” Kully said of becoming a paramedic.
Welch described Kully as “a hero” who saved her life.
“I just did what I thought was the right thing to do. I don’t hold myself to the standard of being a hero,” Kully said.
“I just think I acted … because helping to save this person’s life was the right thing to do. Stuff happens, people sometimes need saving and that’s one of the reasons I want to become a paramedic. Someone always needs help.”
Kully has known the Heimlich maneuver for some time, he explained.
“My mom has shown me before in case I ever need it or somebody else did. I also took an outdoor (physical education) course and needed to have first aid for that.”
Jaryd Dickson, owner and operator of Cowtown Beef Shack, said he wasn’t in the restaurant at the time of the choking incident.
“I got a text from the manager on shift at the time – both her and Kade texted me. I called immediately just to make sure everything was OK,” Dickson said.
“I patted (Cade) on the back for what he did. There wasn’t even an opportunity to think. What do you even do in those situations? You have to stop, look and listen.”
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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