I saw him holding his hands around his neck; in five minutes, my son was dead

“He taught me to live your life to the fullest. He showed me so many things and that is what I miss about him,” said the heartbroken Perth father. 

A Perth father is urging for safety warnings to be placed on packets of grapes after his toddler choked to death.

Zaire Bwoga, better known as ZaZa, a toddler from Western Australia, was sitting at Burns Beach on January 15 with his mum and other parents. 

Another toddler who was playing with ZaZa at the beach at the mother’s club passed the one-year-old a grape, which he popped into his mouth. 

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ZaZa (left) died after choking on a grape. Picture: 9News

Toddler dies after choking on a grape

ZaZa’s father, Brian, was watching his son “proudly” when he spotted the 22mo walking up to him with his hands around his neck. 

“I was on the beach, and we had just come in from swimming,” he told 9News.

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“I was [watching ZaZa] like a hawk playing near the water. He was fine, and then he suddenly started choking.”

Usually, whenever ZaZa ate grapes at home, his father, who trained as a chef, would cut them into small pieces. 

“But he was playing with his friend, and his friend just shared the grape and that was it,” Brian said. 

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Choking on the grape, ZaZa’s father immediately started performing CPR and mouth-to-mouth, trying to resuscitate his son. 

A friend, who was standing nearby, called an ambulance, but it was too late. 

“It all happened so quickly,” Brian recalled. “Literally, within five minutes, my son was dead.” 

A spokesperson for St John Ambulance Western Australia said they rushed the toddler to the hospital under priority 1 conditions. 

Despite their best efforts to save the boy, he couldn’t be revived. He was weeks away from turning two. 

“He died in my arms,” Brian said. 

ZaZa is remembered for being a “little rebel” who “loved life.” 

“He taught me to live your life to the fullest,” Brian said. “He showed me so many things, and that is what I miss about him.”

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Brian wants more to be done about choking hazards on food. Picture: 9News

Warning labels “a priceless service if it saves a life”

Since ZaZa’s death, dad Brian started researching how many children have died from choking on food. 

“I started doing some research and I realised this is just unbelievable,” he said. Between 2020 and 2021, 19 children under the age of 14 choked to death, according to the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare. 

The Perth father is now pleading for safety warnings to get added to fruits that double as a choking hazard, such as grapes. 

He has launched an online petition to require foods at “supermarkets and big chains” to have a warning label printed on the side, “just like they do on toys and other things.”

“Warning labels or a sign when purchasing grapes is a fairly simple thing,” he explained in the petition. 

He said adding a sign near grapes would be a “one-time expense that can last several years.” 

“It's a small price for public awareness; It's a priceless service if it saves a life.” 

Brian hopes this change can prevent further tragedies from happening in the future. 

“It scares me that other kids could pass away. For me, that is just unacceptable,” he said. “I'm just asking for awareness and for ZaZa's death not to be in vain.” 

RELATED: 'Choking in silence': Mum's warning on feeding watermelon to children

ZaZa was weeks away from turning two. Picture: 9News

“Supervise your little ones when they are eating”

Sarah Hunstead, the Founding Director of CPR Kids told Kidspot that parents should always keep an eye on their children while eating fruit that doubles as a choking hazard. 

Some of these foods may include grapes, watermelon and apples. 

“Supervise your little ones when they are eating, get them to sit down to eat, and cut the food into age-appropriate sizes,” she said. 

“For example, a thin, long rectangular piece or small bite-size pieces of watermelon for babies, or for toddlers a thin slice (you can leave the rind on). 

“Avoid the larger cube-shaped pieces, or if that’s what you’ve been served, just bite/break off smaller bits for them.

“Other fruits that are spherical, such as grapes, large blueberries, cherry tomatoes, etc, should always be cut into quarters,” she said.

Originally published as I saw him holding his hands around his neck; in five minutes, my son was dead