On March 4th, 2-year-old David from North Carolina choked on a piece of a baby wipe resulting in a total obstruction. Protocol was followed was laid down on the kitchen floor. LifeVac was used 2x and successfully dislodged the obstruction. They’re residents in the mountains and it would have taken first responders about 15 minutes to arrive.
“My great grandson would not be here if it was not for LifeVac.”
Danny B- Great Grandfather (first aid and CPR certified)
HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — A Haywood County man says his great grandson is alive today thanks to a simple device he had in his home to rescue him from a choking episode. Now, he wants everybody to get one.
Danny Buckner looks after his two-year-old great grandson David while his mother works. Together, they find great adventures around his home near Canton. But last Monday morning, the fun suddenly stopped.
“He fell to his knees and when he done that I picked him up and his eyes is going back in his head like that, just struggling to breathe,” Buckner says.
David was gagging on a baby wipe stuck in throat.
“I tried to get that thing out and I couldn’t reach.”
“I just laid him up on the table and he was already — just his lips was turning. Pretty rough seeing him like that.”
He grabbed a gift given to him by his daughter at Christmas that he had placed nearby and put it over David’s mouth.
“The good Lord just showed me where it was at. That’s all I can say.” It’s called a Life-Vac.
“I put it on there, hit it twice and it sucked it right out. Had I not had this right here, he would not be here, I know that just as plain as I see you sitting there,” Buckner says.
He wants to spread the news now about a simple device that saves lives.
“That’s my main objective is people — if you ain’t got one, get one, especially if you’ve got a toddler.”
LifeVac founder Arthur Lih says his invention is a simple suction device.
“Eleven years later, 2,000 lives saved, over 1,100 children. When you push down, the air vents out the sides. So, it can’t push it further in. You pull it up and it creates suction, pulls out the obstruction,” says Lih.
The Heimlich maneuver can also save lives, but Lih says not always, and it can be difficult to perform on some people. That’s where he says his Life-Vac can help.
“It’s an equalizer so that if the procedures fail or they cannot be done like a wheelchair or bedridden person, they have a chance,” says Lih.
Buckner says it was the Life-Vac that has given David a second chance at life. The company sent him a teddy bear.
Buckner, a musician is contemplating writing a song. “Ya know, I’m thinking about it. It’s been on my mind,” he says.
No doubt it will be a song reflecting the celebration of life. “I’m just glad he’s still here with me.”
