LOWELL, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — When ICU nurse Maggie O'Rourke bought her parents Bill and Christine Florence a LifeVac anti-choking device for Christmas, she had no idea how quickly they would need to use it.
"I just never in a million years thought that my mom would use it on my dad the next day," O'Rourke said.
Bill and Christine were eating Christmas turkey leftovers when Christine noticed Bill was choking. After Bill collapsed on the kitchen floor, Christine tried the Heimlich maneuver to no effect.
With time running out, Christine remembered her daughter's gift and used the suction device to remove the obstruction from Bill's throat and save his life.
"If the LifeVac was not there, I would have been dead," Bill said. "The two of them saved my life."
The family decided to turn the near-tragedy into an opportunity to make the city safer via a partnership with LifeVac. For every person they reached via social media who bought an anti-choking device, the company agreed to match the purchase.
The winning partnership has resulted in more than 200 devices donated to Lowell Public Schools (every school has at least two devices) and emergency responders.
O'Rourke is currently working with a state representative on a bill that would get the devices in schools statewide.
"It saved my dad’s life and if we can help save anyone else, that’s really what we want to do," O'Rourke said.
WBZ's Kendall Buhl reports.
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