Samantha Lennon demands LifeVac devices in schools after daughter Imogen, 5, choked to death at Frankfurt cocktail in Canowindra, NSW
- Mother of girl asphyxiated to death, please for life-saving device
- A seven-year-old boy died in similar circumstances in July
- Samantha Lennon wants anti-choking devices in school
The mother of a girl who died eating a Frankfurt cocktail has called for anti-choking devices in New South Wales schools.
Samantha Lennon lost her daughter Imogen after the five-year-old choked on the popular snack in Canowindra, western NSW, on Jan. 16.
The distraught mother was driving her daughter home from swimming class when the snack got stuck in Imogen’s throat while she was eating in the backseat.
Mrs Lennon attempted CPR but was unable to save her daughter.
The trauma was compounded months later after she heard the news that Decklan Hayward, 7, had died after choking on a Frankfurt cocktail at Orange school.
Decklan was put on a ventilator on July 19 after being deprived of oxygen for 20 minutes. The young boy’s parents made the heartbreaking decision last week to take him off a ventilator.
Now Ms Lennon has made new pleas to introduce anti-choking devices in schools across NSW.
Samantha Lennon (right), the mother of a daughter who died in January after choking on a cocktail, has called for the installation of anti-choking devices statewide
Ms Lennon tried to save her five-year-old daughter Imogen (pictured) from suffocation but failed to untie the frankfurt in time
Since Imogen’s death, Ms. Lennon has been dedicated to raising awareness for Life Vac, a product that can help dislodge objects from the trachea of a person who is choking.
She said she was devastated after learning that another child had died from choking on the popular snack, just months after her daughter.
“It breaks your heart again as we have worked so hard to try and save families from this heartbreaking pain,” Ms Lennon told ABC.
“To hear that another child within 100 miles of us has succumbed to the same conditions as Imogen, if there are options that can help prevent this, it is tragic.”
Ms. Lennon wondered why shopping malls, schools and restaurants are equipped with defibrillators but no anti-suffocation equipment.
She said she would like to see the devices in every “kindergarten, daycare, sports facility and school.”
The device would also help prevent families from feeling the heartbreak that both the Lennon and Hayward families went through.
The pain of her daughter’s death has resurfaced after the death of Decklan Hayward, 7, (pictured) in July, after he similarly suffocated in a school frankfurt
The device Ms Lennon wants to implement, Life Vac, has saved more than 1,000 lives internationally – most of them children – but more research is needed before it is recommended for public use
American company Life Vac reached the Australian coast more than six years ago and has saved more than 1,000 lives worldwide since its inception.
The anti-choking device has a suction mask that fits over a person’s mouth with a small pump on top.
The person working to clear the blockage in a patient’s throat grabs the handle on top of the pump, pushes down and immediately releases – bringing the blockage to the surface.
While numerous scientific papers have been published concluding that anti-choking devices such as Life Vac are effective, more studies need to be done to be recommended for wider use, according to Sarah Hunstead of CPR Kids.
Life Vac announced last week that orders are being delayed as they received a flood of customers in March following media reports.
“While we appreciate that many customers are eager to receive their orders to provide peace of mind, rest assured that we are working very hard to reach customers as quickly as possible,” reads the Life Vac website.