1 result for (book:wth AND heading:"part one chapter 7 may 15 1984" AND stemmed:ill)
[... 14 paragraphs ...]
(Just as I turned Jane on her side after the session, our neighbor Joe Bumbalo — who is very ill with cancer — called to invite me to share Chinese food and rhubarb pie with him and his wife, Margaret. I didn’t get to their house until after 7:30 because I’d been trying to help Jane get more comfortable. The food was delicious — until two pieces of chicken became lodged in my throat as I talked. Joe, lying on his couch, saw me trying to swallow, and called Margaret from the kitchen. I could still breathe, but with difficulty as my throat muscles kept trying to down the meat. I knew the situation could get very serious, but none of us panicked. Margaret, who had been a school nurse, used the Heimlich maneuver: she wrapped her strong arms around me from the back and squeezed. On the third squeeze, one portion of the chicken popped out of my mouth. I could talk hoarsely while feeling the second portion work its way down my esophagus. To the Bumbalos’ surprise, I finally was able to finish the meal. In a flash I’d been prepared for Margaret to use all force necessary, even to the point of one or more broken ribs, as I’d read could happen. And in bed that night, I wondered what would have happened to Jane had I not survived …)