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Doctors remove plastic spoon from Wilmington man's lung

Reported by Casey Roman - bio|email
Posted by Debra Worley - email

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - Wendy's has been a part of fast food history for 40 years, and a piece of the Wendy's time capsule has been stuck inside of a Wilmington man's lung for about two years.

"It's a piece of a spoon," said John Manley.  "I know I didn't chow down on a spoon! It must have been in the food or drink."

Ordered fast, made fast, and eaten fast, John's short order ended up causing him major health problems.

"You were aching here you were aching there," said John.  "You couldn't eat or you were throwing up because you're coughing so hard."

For months, John's doctor couldn't come up with an explanation until taking a look with an endoscope.

"He explained that there was an object down there and it had writing on it," said John.  "A letter was clear - and that was an 'S.'"

After surgery, they saw the whole message.  "It spelled out Wendy's on one side and Hamburgers on the other, and I was a little floored," said John.

Karen Manley was also surprised when doctors found the spoon inside her husband.

"I called my sister and my mother and they were eating Wendy's when I called them to tell them and they were hysterical," said Karen.

John said he still can't imagine how the piece of utensil got stuck in his lung, but days after surgery he's breathing a little easier and promises to swallow a little slower.

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