Woman dies choking on hot dog at Wrigley Field
Tragedy as teacher dies choking on hot dog at Wrigley Field
- 28-year-old teacher was eating with her brother on Sunday lunchtime
- Maureen Oleskiewicz suddenly collapsed and fell to the floor
- CPR was performed and she was taken to hospital
- Died on Tuesday, organs have been donated
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In a tragic accident a teacher from Chicago and avid Cubs fan has died after choking on a hot dog whist at a baseball game.
Maureen Oleskiewicz was with her brother at Wrigley Field on Sunday when she began choking and collapsed.
The 28-year-old teacher at Independence Junior High in Palos Heights was taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital.
Big fan: Maureen Oleskiewicz, 28, was a huge fan of all the Chicago sports teams and even encouraged her students to dress like their favourite players in class occasionally
Ballpark staff and onsite EMTs responded before she was taken to hospital.
Oleskiewicz an avid fan of Chicago sports. She even held school days where students would dress up in support of local teams, including the Cubs, Blackhawks and Bears.
She and her brother Martin, were enjoying a pre-game lunch when she caught him off-guard by what at first seemed like an attempt at humor, their mother told the Chicago Sun Times.
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ShareQuickly, though, Martin Oleskiewicz realized his sister was in grave danger as she fell to the floor choking.
'There were no signs she was in distress. She just went down,' said Martin, 23. All he could do was stand by, helplessly, as a nurse in the crowd and EMTs performed chest compressions on his sister.
'They were saying she didn't have a pulse. It felt hopeless,' he told the Chicago Tribune.
Tragic: Maureen Oleskiewicz, 28, choked on a hot dog before Sunday's baseball game at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Her brother Martin, 23, who was with her at the time had no idea what was wrong
He and the others providing aid didn't know she had choked on a hot dog and was unable to breathe.
'They're sitting there eating lunch before the game, looking at the field and the next thing she's on the floor. He didn't even know she was in distress and then she's on the floor.'
Oleskiewicz went into cardiac arrest and never recovered, despite efforts to revive her.
Stunned: The death shocked the Chicago Cubs baseball teak and the boys and girls in 6th & 7th great at her school
Margaret said the most terrifying part was that her young daughter was otherwise healthy. Martin said she never made any noise or grabbed her throat before she fell over.
'I think it happened about 1:00, it was just before the game started. Matter of fact, I remembered seeing them give her CPR while the National Anthem was playing,' eyewitness Brent Olson said.
'You could see everyone rushing up to the top of the seating with a frantic look on their face. They performed CPR like I've never seen,' he said.
She was kept alive until yesterday in order for doctors could harvest her organs for donation.The incident happened before the game started. She was given CPR at the field and then transported by ambulance to Illinois Masonic but she recovered.
News of Oleskiewicz's death stunned the community at Independence Junior High, where the popular teacher and former student taught 6th and 7th grade language arts.
Her school Superintendent, Kathleen Casey, wrote a letter to parents 'There is no magic wand to fix what we cannot comprehend, Maureen had a positive impact on countless students, parents and colleagues.
Her vibrant, positive outlook on life and her joyful nature will be missed more than words can convey.'
The Chicago Cubs issued a statement today: 'The Chicago Cubs are saddened to hear news of the untimely death of Maureen Oleskiewicz. We express our deepest sympathy to her family and friends. We will continue to keep her family in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.'
Maureen's mother said she was told her daughter's 'big, giving heart' will go to a 14-year-old girl in desperate need of one.
'Even in death she was so kind and good,' Margaret Oleskiewicz said.
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