Our baby died at nursery now we want all parents to know how to save others

02 September 2023 , 16:14

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Oliver Steeper was just nine-months old when he choked to death while eating at a nursery in September 2021

The parents of a baby who died after choking on food at a nursery are fundraising to provide all preschools with airway clearance kits.

Lewis Steeper believes son Oliver would be alive today if staff had a LifeVac device. Costing £60 to £80, it works by sucking the obstruction out using a handle attached to an airtight mask – and its makers claim it has already helped to save 1,232 lives. Lewis, a lorry driver from Ashford, Kent, said: “It’s such a simple device but incredibly effective. No power is needed – it’s just one simple hand movement.

“We didn’t know it even existed until we received a message from LifeVac on Facebook shortly after Oliver passed away. It’s blossomed into such a great relationship with the team. “Our mission is to make sure every nursery and childminder in the UK has a LifeVac. “Then once we’ve achieved that, we’ll look at supplying them to schools, care homes and restaurants. “We want to cover the whole of the UK, because anywhere there’s a human, there’s a risk of choking. “We truly believe that if every nursery had one, then Oliver would still be here.”

Oliver's dad Lewis believes he would still be alive if the nursery had a LifeVac device

Oliver was nine months old when he choked on food at Jelly Beans Day Nursery in Kingsnorth, near Ashford, in September 2021. He was placed on life support at Evelina Children’s Hospital in London but died six days later after a heart attack and brain injury. Since then, parents Lewis, 39, and Zoe, a 34-year-old swimming teacher, have had another son, seven-month-old Jake , and launched the Oliver Steeper Foundation to give nurseries free LifeVac tools.

Each one will have a sticker with Oliver’s name and photograph on to say it was “lovingly donated in his memory”. The organisation, pending registration by the Charity Commission, has raised more than £4,000 so far. Lewis said: “We wanted to do something to keep Oliver’s spirit alive. This is something we’ve been hoping to do for a while but we had to hold back on it because it hadn’t been approved for paediatric use. But it finally got the go-ahead a couple of months ago. I’m overwhelmed by the support so far. People can’t fathom why they don’t already have them everywhere.

Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

Zoe and Lewis are fundraising for the devices

"We’ve had nurseries flocking to us. It’s peace of mind for both the staff and the parents. There’s even stories of people who’ve started choking when on their own and they’ve been able to use the device themselves. “It’s designed as a last resort for when first aid can’t be performed but we wouldn’t hesitate to use one.”

Ofsted suspended Jelly Beans Day Nursery’s registration immediately after Oliver’s death and the nursery has since closed completely. Parents were told the owner had shut it voluntarily. Police launched an investigation but the CPS concluded there was insufficient evidence for a prosecution. A full inquest is yet to be held.

The LifeVac anti-choking devices cost between £60-£80

LifeVac celebrates those it has saved with pictures at its New York HQ’s Hall of Saves. The firm’s Matt Banagan said: “We're honoured to be working with Zoe and Lewis on their mission to provide devices to every UK nursery. Anything we can do in Oliver’s memory fantastic.”

■Back the campaign at gofundme..com/f/lifevacforchildcaresettings

Emily-Jane Heap