A Tesco security guard is critically ill in hospital after suffering brain damage following a choking incident during his shift, his family has said.
Mohamed Nassar, 58, was working at the Tesco Express store on New Bailey Street in Salford, close to Manchester city centre, on May 8 when the tragic incident occurred.
The father of three was on a break when he began choking on a doughnut and suffered a cardiac arrest, his family say. Paramedics attended the scene and eventually managed to resuscitate him.
However, his heart stopped for a total of 23 minutes, and his heartbroken loved ones say they have been told he has been left severely brain damaged as a result.
Mr Nassar and his family moved to Manchester from London in 2020 and live in Ardwick. Previously a musician, he is employed by a third-party security company for whom he has worked for around five years.
His 23-year-old son Seif Abdelwaneis said his mother, Nancy Elkarnshawy, and his sisters Nariman, 28, and Malak, 14, were left in a state of shock when they received a phone call telling them he had collapsed at work.
“It was very emotional finding this out,” Seif said. “Especially for my mum, she was crying a lot. We went straight to the hospital.”
Mr Nassar is currently on life support in intensive care, where he is undergoing tests to determine the extent of his brain damage. Doctors have told his family that it will be ‘very difficult’ for him to survive, Seif said. His family are keeping a regular vigil at his bedside at the Manchester Royal Infirmary.
Seif described 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.”
Mr Nassar was the family’s sole provider, and a GoFundMe page has been set up to help support them financially as they navigate “the most devastating time of their lives”.
