Mom of 4 Reveals How Choking on Dinner Party Steak Left Her in the ICU with 9 Cracked Ribs and a Broken Sternu

A mother in Australia is speaking publicly about a terrifying near-death moment after choking on a piece of steak at a dinner party.

Carolyn Creswell — founder of the Australian food brand Carman’s — marked one year since the incident by posting photos from her hospital stay on Instagram.

“A long overdue post… but it’s a goodie!” Creswell, 52, wrote, explaining that she and her husband had hosted friends for dinner at their farm in Gippsland, in southeastern Australia, when she choked on a piece of steak.

Creswell said her husband, Pete, tried repeatedly to dislodge the food, but she lost consciousness, hit her head, and stopped breathing. She wrote that Pete and their friends performed CPR for about half an hour while others stayed on the phone with emergency services.

According to Creswell, multiple ambulances arrived, and first responders were eventually able to remove the lodged food using long forceps. She was then transported by helicopter to The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.

She said she spent a week in intensive care and the trauma unit, recovering from a concussion, head stitches, nine broken ribs, and a broken sternum — injuries she attributed to the force of the CPR that saved her life.

Reflecting on the experience, Creswell said Pete had only practiced CPR on mannequins before, but the training made all the difference when it mattered most. She also thanked the emergency dispatcher who stayed calm and helped guide the group through what to do after the call.

Creswell also praised the medical team at The Alfred Hospital, calling Australia’s healthcare “incredible,” and expressed gratitude to friends and colleagues who supported her recovery — including one friend who rushed to the hospital quickly when she was told her hair might need to be shaved.

She ended her post saying she has fully recovered and shared a warning she was given in hospital: choking incidents often involve steak. Her advice was simple — chew carefully — adding that beef is no longer her first choice.

Creswell shared several images from the ordeal and her recovery, including photos of meals she ate during her hospital stay.

Creswell founded Carman’s when she was 18 and a first-year university student in 1992, according to the company’s website. She bought the small muesli business where she worked part-time for $1,000 AUD (around $670 USD). The brand has since expanded and is now sold internationally.

“It’s amazing where life can lead you,” Creswell said, per the Carman’s website.