Oliver's legacy..

Following the tragic loss of our son, Oliver, who passed away in September 2021 at the Evelina Children's Hospital following choking on pasta at the Jellybeans Day Nursery in Ashford, Kent.

We felt compelled to create a lasting legacy in his memory. The Oliver Steeper Foundation was established in mid-2023 with the mission of ensuring that life-saving LifeVac medical devices are available in all registered early years childcare settings.

We deeply miss Oliver's beautiful smile, his infectious laughter, and the immense joy he brought to our lives, however brief his time with us was.

The charity and its goal

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our supporters, we have already funded and distributed over 2,000 LifeVac devices to childcare settings across the UK. This is an achievement we are immensely proud of, but our work is far from finished.

With thousands of childcare settings throughout the country, achieving our ambition represents a substantial financial and logistical undertaking. Each device costs approximately £70–£102, depending on the model supplied, and we rely on charitable donations, fundraising events and the kindness of individuals and businesses to continue our work.

We recognise that reaching every setting will take considerable time, dedication and financial support. However, our determination remains unwavering, and we will continue working towards this goal for as long as it takes.

Our founders, trustees and volunteers give their time entirely free of charge, receiving no salaries, remuneration or expense reimbursements.

We are committed to keeping our running costs to an absolute minimum, ensuring that as much of every donation as possible is directed towards providing LifeVac devices to childcare settings and furthering our charitable objectives.

What is LifeVac?

LifeVac is designed with a patented one way valve system, this means when applied no air can be forced through the interchangeable sized mask’s when depressed. This creates one-way suction to safely and effectively remove the lodged food or object. Being non invasive means there is no risk damaging the oral cavity, pushing the obstruction further down, pushing the tongue back in a panic situation, no tubes can become blocked rendering the device useless or activating the gag reflex putting the casualty at greater risk.

LifeVac is the only non invasive airway clearance device and the only airway clearance device with independent medical testing, peer reviewed medical publications, medical abstracts proving safety, effectiveness and lives saved.

LifeVac created the market for airway clearance devices and are leading the way for airway clearance device technology.

Foods that are classed as a choking risk are things such as whole grapes, nuts, marshmallows, hard boiled sweets, chewy sweets such as Haribo and sausages. It is always recommended to cut food up for children, for example you would not give a whole grape to a child as these are a “perfect” size to block their airway, it is recommended to cut grapes in at least half. Infants, children and young people with a neurodisability and those born prematurely are most likely to be at risk of dysphagia, but feeding difficulties also occur in typically developing children.

Can I buy one for home?

The stark fact is wherever there is a human, there is a possibility of a choking incident occurring. Whilst our aim is to supply all Ofsted registered EY settings and childminders, you can also purchase a LifeVac for your home, your car, your workplace or even your children's childcare provider.

Simply head to LifeVacs website and you can purchase genuine LifeVac devices. Use OF10 as a discount code for 10% off your order at www.lifevac.uk or visit http://www.lifevac.uk/pages/oliversteeper

Beware of counterfeit devices..

Sadly there are many counterfeit devices listed on social media sponsored adverts across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok etc, if you see a product which claims to be a LifeVac that is being told for around £20 or two for £50 etc, please, please do not buy this product. They are mass produced cheap Chinese knock off devices which can be fatal when used. The one way valve is nothing more then a rubber grommet which allows are to be pushed through the mask pushing the obstruction further down. If you are in doubt, please contact us, or LifeVac for clarification. The Oliver Steeper Foundation only supplies 100% genuine devices direct from the manufacturer, LifeVac Europe LTD.

Read more here: https://www.tosf.org.uk/counterfeitdevices

Over 2050 devices now distributed..

We have given out over 2050 devices now across Kent, and now look to fund the rest of the UK, which is an enormous tasking but not unachievable. See our map here: https://www.tosf.org.uk/map