Woman dies after choking on hot dog at Chicago Cubs game

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Maureen Oleskiewicz was sitting in the bleachers at a Chicago Cubs game, waiting for the first inning to start. She did not make it to opening pitch, though -- she and her brother were enjoying a pre-game lunch when Oleskiewicz began to choke on her hot dog, WLS-TV reported.

Her mother said that at first, her brother Martin thought she was joking. But when Oleskiewicz fell to the ground, he knew she was in danger.

Oleskiewicz went into cardiac arrest, and doctors could not revive her. She was kept alive until 9:15 a.m. -- just long enough to be able to donate her organs. She was 28.

Oleskiewicz was a popular teacher in Palos Heights. She taught 6th and 7th grade language arts, and instituted team days at the school so she could celebrate the Chicago teams she loved -- especially the Cubs.

The Cubs expressed their condolences in a statement, and a vigil was held for her at a local church. The school where she taught is still grieving, and students held an impromptu memorial in which they left candles and flowers in her classroom.

Margaret Oleskiewicz, her mother, said that her daughter's "big, giving heart" would go to a 14-year-old waiting for a transplant.