WASHINGTON — A local bartender has gotten a thank you card close to Christmas with a special message: a $5,000 check enclosed.
It wasn’t from Santa — the check was from a grateful patron.
Abby Ansari, owner of the Oakeville Grille in Bethesda, Maryland, says that a 67-year-old diner — a man she identified simply as “Mike” — was midway through a steak dinner on the evening of Dec. 10, when he suddenly choked on a piece of food.
As restaurant staffers and patrons tried to help and shouted to call 911, bartender Darko Stankovic looked out to the dining area and saw what was going on.
Stankovic, who had at one time worked as a lifeguard, ran out from behind the bar and put his first aid training to work. He gave the man the Heimlich maneuver. The food popped out and the man was saved, Ansari explained. His recovery was so complete that Ansari said, after the commotion, “The man feels better, he continues eating his dinner, thanks everyone and leaves.”
Days later, Ansari said the man called the restaurant to get the name of the bartender and to say he would be sending a thank you card.
When the card arrived, the staff was stunned to find a $5,000 check made out to Stankovic. She called him to tell him about the gift from the grateful patron.
Stankovic said he’s the one who’s grateful for the generous monetary gift, and he doesn’t think what he did was so special. His focus was on the man who needed help, saying, “When you see someone’s choking, you think that person is the scared-est person in the world at that moment. You have to act and calm the person down as well.”
The inscription in the card from the man Stankovic saved reads, in part:
“I know this is not necessary. I know it is not why you acted so calmly and competently. But I would not be having Christmas with my family if you had not acted. Thank you!”
Asked what he’ll do with the $5,000 token of appreciation, Stankovic said he’s giving it some thought. He’s considering how to generate more good feelings with the gift, perhaps sharing with fellow staffers and making a charitable donation in this season of giving.
“A lot of kids need something,” he said, and with the unexpected gift, Stankovic added, “You can make someone else happy as well.”
For himself, Stankovic said, “You just have that very nice feeling that you helped someone.”
