Saving Lives…Is why you Arthur are here!… LifeVac is why my son Rhett is still here!
I want; no I need to share our story with you. My son Rhett is alive today because of you Arthur and your invention The LifeVac. The LifeVac has not only saved Rhett’s life once but twice! And he had minimal recovery time after both incidences. Another advantage is he did not have to be removed from his wheelchair to use the LifeVac.
Rhett is my 29-year-old adult son who has cerebral palsy, weighs about 85 pounds and is a spastic quadriplegic with a developmental disability. He uses an electric wheelchair with a chest harness and lap tray. When transporting Rhett his wheelchair is tied down in the van. All of which makes it very difficult to perform any life-saving measures unless you have the time to remove the before mentioned items and then him from his wheelchair.
The first time that he choked was this summer while I was driving on the freeway. He was choking on carne asada French fries that had become a pasty guacamole potato ball. He was not moving air and very scared. The LifeVac is easy, fast and efficient to use. It took me SECONDS with the assistance of my other son, Phillip (25), who has Autism to get the device off of his wheelchair and out of his backpack, put it together and use it to dislodge the potato ball from Rhett’s throat. Verses minutes that it would have taken me to even be able to get him out of the van and out of his wheelchair before I could even attempt to do the Heimlich. Honestly, that would have taken too long and I probably would have really hurt him including breaking his ribs with a long recovery time; If I would have been able to save him. I truly believe that my son Rhett (29) would not be here today if not for the LIfeVac! One day of recovery after using the lifeVac, just a sore throat. Simply Amazing!
The second time that Rhett choked and the LifeVac had to be used to save his life was last week while he was at his Developmental Disability Center. He was eating chicken linguini and started to choke and was not moving any air. The center had just recently gone through training on the LifeVac after I donated one to them and they purchase some kits. The staff was able to use the LifeVac easily to dislodge the chicken that he was choking on. He spoke with me on the phone shortly afterward and wasn’t distraught or upset at all. In fact, he wanted to stay longer at the center that day. No recovery time needed. The staff informed me that the LifeVac is very user-friendly, took little time to use and they didn’t have to fight his wheelchair to attempt using the Heimlich. Everyone was nervous that he was choking but the LifeVac was easy, effective and efficient to use. It only took 4 plunges to dislodge the chicken. They were amazed at how easy and effective that it was and how great he acted and quickly recovered after using it.
The ease of use with the LifeVac is very important. And the fact that you can use it on yourself if needed is amazing! I believe that people of different abilities and with some training could use this device to save a life, including their own. My other son, Phillip, has Autism, processing issues among other diagnoses, but he had recently taken CPR training including the LifeVac and understood that his brother was choking and because of his training, he knew how to help.
People talk about the price being steep, but how much is your life or your loved one’s life worth to you. Long recovery, broken ribs, expensive hospital bills or worse….No Thank You! Every household should own at least one kit! This is an awesome device created by an amazing man, just trying to save lives!
I would like to thank you again for my son! Because without you Rhett would not be here!
Sincerely,
Tina Monroe-Behrens
Meridian, Idaho 11/8/2018
