Mohamed Nassar, 58, was on a break when he began choking and suffered a cardiac arrest at the Salford Tesco Express store, his family say
The relatives of a Tesco security officer who remains in a critical condition after choking during his shift have expressed their heartbreak. Mohamed Nassar, 58, was on duty at the Tesco Express branch on New Bailey Street in Salford, near Manchester city centre, on Friday, May 8, when the devastating incident unfolded.
During his break, he started choking on a doughnut and went into cardiac arrest, according to his family. Emergency services arrived at the scene and ultimately succeeded in reviving him.
Nevertheless, his heart had stopped beating for a total of 23 minutes, and his distraught relatives say they’ve been informed he has sustained severe brain damage as a consequence, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Father-of-three Mohamed and his family relocated to Manchester from London in 2020 and reside in Ardwick. A former musician, he works for a third-party security firm where he’s been employed for around five years.
His 23-year-old son, Seif Abdelwaneis, said his mother, Nancy Elkarnshawy, along with his sisters Nariman, 28, and Malak, 14, were left utterly stunned when they got a call informing them he’d collapsed at work.
Seif said: “It was very emotional finding this out. Especially for my mum, she was crying a lot. We went straight to the hospital.”
Mohamed remains on life support in intensive care, where medical professionals are conducting assessments to establish the severity of his brain injuries. Doctors have told his family that it will be “very difficult” for him to survive, Seif said. The family maintains a constant presence at his hospital bed at Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI).
Seif characterised his father as the “kindest person”. “He would do anything to help people” he said. “He’s very outgoing, very social.
“All the customers know him and have a good relationship with him. He’s known for helping them and carrying their bags and things like that.
“But more than anything he’s a very loving dad. He cares so deeply about his family. All his friends and colleagues have said that, that all he ever talked about was us. He spent so much time with my little sister. He had also become a grandad as well and loved that.”
Mohamed served as the family’s primary breadwinner, and a GoFundMe appeal has been launched to provide financial assistance as they face ‘the most devastating time of their lives.’
“The impact on us is really huge” Seif added.
Osarugue Onaghise, store manager at the Manchester Bailey Tesco Express branch, commented: “On behalf of all our colleagues at our Manchester Bailey Express store, we remain deeply saddened by this tragic incident and our thoughts are with Mohamed and his family at this difficult time.”
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