Brave parents saved choking daughter, 8, with device

A mum has recalled the terrifying moment her young daughter went "silent and purple" while tucking into her tea. Eight-year-old Caitlin-Mae had choked on a piece of sausage and was struggling to breathe.

Brave parents Laura Hale and her fiancé Brett Stanley sprung into action and made a frantic 999 call as they attempted to dislodge the piece of meat. The couple tried numerous first aid techniques but Caitlin-Mae continued to choke.

The mum-of-four told BirminghamLive that around 30 seconds had passed when they grabbed the LifeVac anti-choking device, which she'd bought last year. She continued: "We lay her down and we put it over her mouth, it's like an oxygen mask, and sucked it. After the second suck, the sausage came out. She was struggling to breathe a little bit afterwards, she was coughing a lot."

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Paramedics soon arrived at the family's Cradley Heath home on Wednesday evening (April 17) and checked the youngster over. Laura said thankfully her daughter was "fine" and "wanted to eat her tea straight after it happened".

This was the first time Laura had used the LifeVac device, which she said she purchased due to her children having special needs. However following the ordeal, she was pleased she'd had it to hand and said she would "definitely" recommend it to other parents.

Although the LifeVac is single-use due to cross-contamination, if used, the North Devon firm replace it free of charge. It claims its devices have helped save 2,084 lives in a choking emergency, with 1,325 of those being children.