In a harrowing incident in 2021, Long Island father John Cosides faced the panic of seeing his young son choking on chicken nuggets at their home in Massapequa.
“You could see the fear in his eyes as he struggled to breathe,” Cosides recounted to The Post regarding his then 2-year-old son, Eibhear.
As the family rallied together to attempt to dislodge the choking hazard, Cosides quickly retrieved a straightforward, locally-developed anti-choking device called LifeVac. With just a simple push and pull, the device successfully cleared his son’s airway in a matter of seconds.
“It sounds cliché, but every day feels like a gift now,” the father shared. “Now, we only gift LifeVacs at baby showers… Just last week, I mentioned it twice.”
Each LifeVac saves stories, including Eibhear’s, which contribute to nearly 5,000 miraculous rescues attributed to this innovative device, showcased on the “Wall of Saves” at LifeVac’s Suffolk County headquarters. This wall is a testament to the 4,700-plus lives that have been saved globally.
What initially started as a handful of photos has now expanded to require raised ceilings to accommodate a growing collection, with new images having to hang from the rafters due to space limitations.
“If there was a difference of just four minutes, we would have had a memorial instead,” stated LifeVac founder Art Lih. “When I’m in this room, it feels almost spiritual… I believe I’ve been chosen for this purpose, and I won’t rest until it’s fulfilled.”
Having experienced loss personally, Lih understands the heartache of tragic endings all too well. In his youth, he was involved in a car accident that left him as the only survivor among his close friends.
“I still carry the weight of having lost my two best friends,” he reflected. “Every time I think of them, I remember those who could have died in front of their loved ones.”
His journey began in his garage, where he crafted the first prototype over ten years ago, motivated by passion rather than profit.
“I put together electrical tape, gorilla glue, a mask, and a plunger from Home Depot,” he explained about his initial creation, which, surprisingly, still functions.
While retail versions, priced at $69.95, have become more advanced than Lih’s original creation, the fundamental concept remains unchanged. It’s designed to be easily operated by anyone, creating a suction seal around a choking victim’s mouth to expel blockages immediately.
“We’re getting close to eliminating choking fatalities altogether,” the entrepreneur boldly claimed.
At 60, Lih found himself at a pivotal moment when he established his Nesconset-based venture after selling his previous transportation business for a significant profit. A profound experience in a hospital shook him when he learned that a child had perished from choking on a gurney near him, despite rapid medical attempts to save him.
Empathizing with the child’s parents while reflecting on his past and survivor’s guilt, Lih realized retirement was not an option for him.
“An inner voice urged me, ‘What are you even considering?'” he recalled.
And thus, the LifeVac was born.
Enduring Challenges
Launching LifeVac officially in 2014 wasn’t straightforward; the company recorded zero lives saved in its first two years and managed only four in 2016.
Yet, Lih continued with unwavering determination, even facing rejection from Shark Tank investors shortly after.
“Ultimately, it turned out to be a blessing, as I wouldn’t have wanted to run the business their way,” he remarked.
Moreover, the product struggled to gain traction with major manufacturers, as Lih deliberately crafted the LifeVac for durability, wanting each unit to last a lifetime.
“Manufacturers prefer selling a new model each year,” Lih mentioned. “However, the values instilled in me by my father take precedence over their financial motivations.”
By trusting his intuition and feeling a divine presence guiding his worthy mission, the number of lives saved saw remarkable growth: from 153 in 2021, 357 in 2022, reaching 1,011 in 2023, 1,719 in 2024, and continuing with 1,323 lives saved this year—and counting.
According to Lih, over 3,000 children have survived choking incidents involving food, leaves, and toy pieces thanks to LifeVac.
“That’s just what has been reported back to us,” he noted. “The actual numbers could be double or even triple… just yesterday, we saved ten lives.”
