Turkey Baster Rescue: Man Saves Choking Baby With Kitchen Utensil

A Michigan man is being hailed as a hero after he used a turkey baster to save the life of a choking baby on Sunday.

Thanks to Bill Hogenson's quick action, 5-month-old Nessa Shoup is alive today. Two babysitters were watching the child over the weekend in Ludington, Mich., when she began to choke. One of the sitters rushed outside and dialed 911, while the other stayed inside with Shoup.

Hogenson, a wildlife contractor, was in the neighborhood bat-proofing a nearby house with the help of his son Gabe and overheard the babysitter on the phone with 911.

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"We heard one of the babysitters talking on the phone to 911 saying that the baby is purple and not breathing," Hogenson told KLTV.com. "At first I was in disbelief, like 'did I just hear that?' So I started jogging towards her."

Hogenson rushed into the house and immediately took Shoup from the sitter.

"I did a quick look, listen, and feel and she wasn't breathing," Hogenson, who is a former Mason County Marine Deputy, told the Ludington Daily News. "So I gave her some light raps on her back."

When the baby still couldn’t breathe, Hogenson began looking around for something to clear her airway.

"So I went to the drawer and found a turkey baster and used the turkey baster to clear her nasal passage and her airway," he said. "Patted her on the back some more, then spun her around and got a good look at her. And she quit crying and she smiled at me. And I knew that we were going to be in the good."

The baby's parents, Robin Shoup and Shon Gascoigne, said that Nessa's throat is not fully developed yet, causing her to choke occasionally. They said they are grateful that Hogenson was in the right place at the right time.

"As far as I'm concerned, he saved her life," Gascoigne said.

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