Wednesday night, September 9, 2010, in the fabulous AQUA restaurant perched on the Chesapeake Bay shoreline in the historic Town of Cape Charles, Virginia I was enjoying a wonderful, relaxing dinner with my customers to celebrate a full day of touring the most incredibly beautiful waterfront properties on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Little did I know that my last bite of rice might be truly my last bite, ever ! We three had been completely engrossed in happy conversation about the events and places of the day, and especially the sunset walk along the beautiful beach in the little neighborhood of Bay Ridge. I swallowed a small spoonful of rice and tried to wash it down with a sip of water only to find that it lodged in my trachea! Suddenly, without warning, my world turned upside down when I gasped for breath and not a molecule of air could pass into my straining lungs! Richard and Eileen knew immediately that I was in trouble. Unable to talk, I could only signal my crisis by grabbing my throat, bulging my eyes and pounding my chest. Eileen asked me if I could talk and I desparately shook my head while Richard quickly grasped the nature of my emergency, wrapped his strong arms around my chest from behind and administered five quick hugs of the Heimlich maneuver. Finally, on the fifth hug I expelled the blockage and sank back into my chair, taking my first breath in what felt like an hour but only proved to be about a minute or so. Granted a new lease on life, I have determined here to share this experience in the hope that all who read this blog will learn how to perform the Heimlich hug. Check out instructions on the Heimlich webpage at www.heimlichinstitute.org/page.php?id=34 . Take it from me, you’ll never know when you might use it and believe me when I say that it is truly a lifesaver !