Ten years ago, I lost my son Jace to a sudden, preventable accident.
It’s hard to talk about, but I feel like I have to. Because I believe my story can help you avoid this same tragedy.
By the end of this article, you will know EXACTLY how to respond to a choking incident, whether it’s at home, the office, school, or a nursing home. Reading it may help you save a life — including your own.
First, my story. It was Christmas dinner, and suddenly my son Jace started choking.
I’m an E.R. nurse, so I sprung into action. I started with back blows — but it didn’t work.
But there was nothing we could do.
There are so many things I’ll never forgive myself for… I let my guard down. I wasn’t prepared. I didn’t think this could happen to me.
It took me weeks to start answering phone calls, and I didn’t leave the house for months. But when I finally did, I decided I would turn our tragedy into something positive.
The following holiday season, I began my mission to spread awareness about choking — especially during the holidays, when your guard is down, and yet the risk of choking is at its peak.
Demonstrating CPR & choking first aid at Monrovia Community Center
Of course, I also teach how to save a choking victim… and I used to recommend alternating between abdominal thrusts and back blows.
I remember blaming myself for failing to save Jace using my first-aid training. Was my technique off? Did I do something wrong? Why couldn’t I save him? These thoughts raced in my head for years.
Unfortunately, abdominal thrusts only work on 70-86% of choking victims³ — even when it’s administered properly.
It also runs a high risk of fracturing ribs, rupturing your diaphragm, or injuring your gastrointestinal tract.
Back blows can be effective, but they also run the risk of pushing the object deeper into the throat.
That’s why I focused most of my teaching on preventing choking situations. But they’re nearly impossible to prevent completely.
But last year, that completely changed. I now have a much better answer: You use LifeVac.
LifeVac is a new anti-choking device that can instantly save a choking victim — even when conventional first aid fails.
A doctor at the hospital I work at showed it to me… and I admit, I was angry at first. I knew right away that this device could have saved Jace if it had existed ten years ago.
It didn’t feel fair that LifeVac didn’t exist when my family needed it. But when I learned that LifeVac has already saved over 2,629 lives, I quickly realized how important this device is — and started telling everyone I could about it.
LifeVac is an anti-choking device that works like a vacuum to remove objects from your throat in seconds.
Most importantly, LifeVac has been 100% effective at preventing choking deaths.
However, in these cases, LifeVac saved all of their lives.
In my years of teaching and working in the E.R., I’ve seen all sorts of choking incidents… and they always spike during the holidays.
In 2020 alone, there were 150,000 toy-related E.R. visits, and most of them were for choking! In fact, choking is the 4th leading cause of accidental death worldwide.⁵
Here’s why choking is a huge risk for the holidays:
The fact of the matter is that choking happens to people of ALL ages, sizes, lifestyles, and body types.
LifeVac has a patented valve that creates one-way suction to remove whatever food or object is stuck in the airway.
As the plunger goes down, the patented valve vents air out the side of the mask. When the plunger comes up, an airtight seal pulls the object up and out of the airway.
With LifeVac, it is impossible to push the object further down the airway.
LifeVac is manually powered, so it never needs electricity, batteries, or charging. It’s always ready to save a life!
Anyone can use LifeVac — it’s as simple as Place, Push, Pull.
The LifeVac mask fits people of all sizes and ages. To use it, you simply:
The user-friendly design makes it extremely easy to use, even in a stressful environment. And its patented one-way air valve prevents user error.
As an E.R. nurse who’s seen choking accidents both at work and home, I think EVERYONE should have a LifeVac in their home and car.
Here’s why: LifeVac is your only option when abdominal thrusts and back blows fail — and it’s extremely effective, so it’s useful for everyone.
And in MANY situations abdominal thrusts aren’t even possible, such as:
In an emergency, my professional opinion is that I’d rather rely on LifeVac than anything else.
Here’s my precious niece holding a LifeVac
The only consolation I have is that with every holiday, I’m putting more LifeVacs out there in the world.
So far I have given LifeVac to friends, family members, teachers, colleagues, coaches, babysitters, and neighbors. I plan to keep spreading the word and giving LifeVac as a gift for as long as I live.
With the upcoming fall and winter holidays, LifeVac is running a special promotion to make LifeVac even easier and more affordable to give as a gift.
For a limited time, LifeVac is offering a special deal: when you use the link below, you’ll get a FREE LifeVac Home Kit when you buy 2!