Riley's Story

Riley didn’t mean to swallow the £2 coin.

He just looked up while his aunt was teaching him to toss coins and the weighty disc dropped into his mouth and slid down his windpipe.

What had started out as a fun distraction for the eight-year-old turned into a race against time as the youngster struggled to breathe, having inhaled the coin in shock instead of spitting it out.

“We used the Heimlich manoeuvre on him and he said he had swallowed it completely and asked for a drink,” recalls his mother Nicolle Chapman, based in Fyvie, Aberdeenshire.

“I knew Riley would never pass something as large as a £2 coin so called my GP for advice. But while I was on the phone, the poor wee soul was sick and brought up the coin to lodge in his throat again.”

The family doctor wasted no time in telling Nicolle to dial 999.

“I tried not to panic, the children needed me to be calm, but I was terrified,” she said. “I saw Riley struggling to breathe and couldn’t help him. It was really frightening.”

A Scottish Ambulance Service road crew arrived within minutes and told Nicolle they had to get him to hospital quickly – but not in a road ambulance. This would take all Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance’s (SCAA’s) skills to get the youngster smoothly and safely to critical hospital care nearly an hour’s drive away at Aberdeen.

“I knew then things were really serious and Riley was in real danger of suffocating if the coin moved again.

“We heard the helicopter coming in to land outside the house just as another SCAA paramedic arrived in a Rapid Response Vehicle,” explained Nicolle.

"There’s something so reassuring about these air ambulance paramedics in red suits who are so professional, comforting and efficient. SCAA’s team was absolutely amazing. They took over Riley’s care and made sure that I was OK too.”

The offending coin had lodged itself at a 45-degree angle in Riley’s throat, allowing just enough space to get a little air through. Any movement, however, could have shifted it to completely choke the youngster.

Riley was walked slowly and carefully to the waiting helicopter, wearing an oxygen mask and being supported by the paramedics. Nicolle was asked to accompany her son on the flight.

“Throughout the entire emergency, these young paramedics were focussed on Riley – they weren’t going to let anything happen to him,” said Nicolle. “I trusted them with my little boy – his life was in their hands.”

Clutching a SCAA teddy bear the crew had given him, Riley tried his best to comply with the paramedics’ instructions, but gag reflexes caused him to be sick several times, vomiting blood.

“I was in total awe of the paramedics,” said Nicolle. “They never let up in their care and commitment to Riley – keeping him as still as possible, keeping him calm and monitoring him every step of the way. It was so reassuring to see their total control of the situation and their compassion for both Riley and me – his stressed-out mother.”

A 10-minute flight saw SCAA land at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where Riley was taken into Resus and then into theatre where surgeons were able to put him to sleep and slip a clamp down his throat and successfully capture the coin.

Riley’s parents Nicolle and Gary are in no doubt the speed of the helicopter and the professionalism of the crew saved their son’s life – a debt they say they will never be able to repay.

“There are no words,” said Nicolle. “How do you thank those who saved your little boy’s life in mere words?

“I’ve never been so scared in all my life.

“Without SCAA and the helicopter crew that day we could have lost Riley. Every breath could have been his last were he not in their hands – a road ambulance journey on bumpy roads could have spelled disaster and that doesn’t bear thinking about.”

After a couple of hours in recovery, Riley was allowed to leave hospital – “two pounds lighter”, as the family now joke.

The following day, Nicolle and Gary took Riley and their other two children to drop off piles of chocolate and goodies for the Helimed 79 team at Aberdeen.

“Luckily, it was the same crew that was on duty and they welcomed us in and showed us round, all delighted to see Riley looking well again,” said Nicolle.

“It was extremely emotional to meet up with them and try to thank them for what they had done. The previous day could have ended so differently and Gary and I could have faced life with two children instead of three.

“SCAA is so vital in Scotland where remote and rural communities face long journeys to hospital care. I know many others owe their life to the speed and expertise of SCAA and I’m happy to join that group – they’re our heroes!”