Slovak activist saves life of man who insulted her in Bratislava

In a Vietnamese bistro in Bratislava, an elderly man insulted activist Huddachekova for helping Ukraine. A few minutes later he suffered a severe allergic attack. The woman gave him an adrenaline injection and called an ambulance, which Slovak medics confirmed helped keep him from suffocating.

The activist told the story on Facebook. According to her, the man had been studying her for some time, then searched for something on his phone and told his companion at the table that he had recognized her. He then walked over and called her a “Banderite,” asking why she wasn’t off “feeding at Ukraine’s trough.”

A lunch with nuts ended in an attack

In reply, the activist wished him a good appetite at his “patriotic lunch.” It was a rather pointed remark, given that they were sitting in a Vietnamese bistro. The man grumbled a little longer and went back to his table.

When his food arrived, the woman at his table warned him not to eat the dish with nuts, or he would end up in hospital again. He ignored her, saying he wasn’t going to throw away seven euros (about 170 crowns). Soon he turned red, his eyes swelled up and he began coughing badly. He clutched his chest and started pulling off his sweater.

Huddachekova didn’t hesitate for a second and injected epinephrine into his thigh. She always carries an auto-injector with her. The medication worked almost immediately. She then called an ambulance, reporting an allergic reaction and the use of an adrenaline pen.

Medics confirmed her intervention

The crew arrived within a few minutes. The man’s companion hugged the activist and thanked her, while he himself, according to Huddachekova, didn’t even look at her. She doesn’t know how he is doing now, but hopes he is all right.

Slovakia’s ambulance service operations center confirmed that a crew had been dispatched to the bistro. According to the medics, the patient had been given adrenaline for a severe allergic reaction before they arrived. His eyes remained badly swollen, but thanks to the first aid he was not choking and was breathing on his own. The rescuers treated him on the spot, stabilized his condition and took him to hospital.

The activist admitted that the war and the rudeness around her take a heavy toll, but not so heavy that she would let a person die next to her, even if he had insulted her a minute earlier. She hopes she never reaches the point where she stops caring and turns away: the very thought frightens her.

The story was met with admiration on social media. One user wrote that the man was very lucky: a quick-thinking “Banderite” happened to be nearby, someone who knows what to do when a life is at stake.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz