The right place at the right time
By Susan Nienow CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Eugene Baker performed the Heimlich maneuver on a man who was choking at a local restaurant.

A number of things had to come together to make that Tuesday, Oct. 23, a day Mike Morris will never forget. He went to lunch at Giuseppe's Pizza on Hull Street Road as he did several times a week, and Eugene Baker and his coworkers just happened to have picked Italian instead of Chinese that day.

Morris was eating alone when he discovered he couldn't breathe. He quickly stood up and headed toward Baker and rasped out, "can't breathe," before turning around and raising his arms. Baker seemed a little surprised at first, but then realized Morris was choking and gave him three quick squeezes just below his ribcage. The third one dislodged the piece of beef and cheese sandwich that was blocking Morris' airway.

Morris knew about the Heimlich maneuver because he had used it himself on another restaurant patron some years ago. "I knew right away when I couldn't breathe what it was. I picked him [Baker] because he was muscular, and I thought if anyone could do it, he could." Morris is 6 feet 2 inches tall and knew that some strength would be required.

"I knew he was in difficulty when he stood up and came toward me," recalled Baker. "I didn't think about it. After the first burst, I think my adrenalin kicked in, and the third one did it." There were maybe a dozen people in the restaurant at the time.

"I am a big swimmer, and this was a bizarre feeling - like being underwater. It was very, very frightening. I felt fine afterward and actually sat down and finished my sandwich," recalled Morris.

But the next day, the pain hit, and he didn't go to work. Morris was still sore a week later. He thinks he may have a cracked rib. "But I don't care. It doesn't matter," he said.

Though Morris wasn't thinking too well that day, he went back to Giuseppe's several days later and paid for Baker's lunch. When interviewed for this story, Morris said, "Make sure you tell [Baker] he's a hero."

Though they didn't really know each other, Baker and his coworkers from the Virginia Department of Transportation's Powhite Parkway Extension often have lunch at Giuseppe's and Baker, a receiving manager at Costco in Chesterfield, also eats there regularly. They often joke around; the VDOT workers sometimes tease Morris because it seems like his food comes before theirs some days, even though they ordered first.

Morris couldn't have picked a better person for the job of "hero." Baker has taken the CPR course twice through VDOT to keep his certification which must be renewed every two years. The course includes the Heimlich maneuver. He also spent 20 years in the Navy and received training there.

Gloria Finnegan, a 15-year employee at Giuseppe's, is just "great," said Morris. Finnegan wasn't aware there was a problem until she came around the counter and saw Morris turning colors. Before she could react, Baker was performing the Heimlich maneuver on Morris. "It was very, very fast. I had never seen it before," she recalled. "He had a real scratchy throat afterwards so I gave him some honey drops."