A peaceful afternoon at DeHart Park turned into a life-or-death moment on June 27, when a little boy began choking and was saved by a woman with years of medical training she canât yet use in Canada.
Andy Wang and his wife, Rui Deng, were about to leave the park around 5:30 p.m. when they heard cries for help.
âWe heard a woman crying and shouting, âHelp! Help! Help!ââ Andy told Black Press Media.
They rushed over and found a friend and an older man trying to help the child, who was clearly in distress.
âBy the time we reached them, the babyâs arms and legs were limp, and their eyes had rolled backâclear signs of severe oxygen deprivation,â Andy said. â(They) were trying to help, doing their best in a tense and emotional moment, however, the techniques being used were unfortunately ineffective.â
Thatâs when Rui, a trained doctor in China for more than ten years stepped in.
âMy wife immediately recognized the danger and took control of the situation,â Andy said. âShe performed the Heimlich manoeuvre correctly, and within seconds, the baby expelled the obstruction and began to breathe again.â
Âé¶čAV firefighters arrived shortly afterwards. Once they confirmed the child was okay, they gave him a stuffed toy to comfort him.
The boyâs mother was visibly shaken but deeply grateful.
âShe was scared, so scared,â Andy said. âThen she showed her thanks to usâshe wanted us to leave our numbers for her. But according to the tradition of the Chinese people, you know, we refused that. We just do what we need to do.â
For Andy and Rui, the experience reinforced two things: the importance of learning basic life-saving skills like the Heimlich manoeuvre, and the challenge of getting internationally trained doctors certified to work in Canada.
âI always think everyone, especially for the parents, should learn how to do the Heimlich manoeuvre, not only for their own kids, but also for someone else,â Andy said.
Although Rui spent more than a decade working as a doctor in China, she is currently not allowed to practise in Canada.
One of the biggest barriers, Andy explained, is the language requirement.
âThat's a little bit difficult for Chinese doctors,â he said. âAlso, maybe she is well-educated, and has a good educational background in China, but maybe Canada just can't accept it directly. So there are too many barriers.â
He said it could take several more years of studying and testing before Rui can even apply for a licence to practise medicine here.
âI know that if she has to pass the language test, then she may need to learn more than another two years. Then she could have the chance to challenge for the license of being a doctor,â he said.
Andy questioned whether more couldnât be done to support skilled professionals who are already in Canadian communities.
âThis moment could have ended very differently if my wife hadnât been there,â he said. âAnd yet, in the current system, she still cannot legally treat patients in Canada.â
