Back in December, I invited a guy onto my podcast named Arthur Lih. In the first photo, Arthur is telling me and Chuck that our conversation on that particular episode would save someone’s life. At this exact moment, Arthur is saying – and I’m quoting – “mark my words, someone is going to be alive a year from now because you invited me on your show. I guarantee it.”
Bold claim.
In the second photo, we see the Melissa, Ronan, and Pat Sullivan. Pat’s a fan of the podcast. Never misses an episode. Partially because he has excellent taste in podcasts, and partly because he drives a lot. But mostly because he has excellent taste in podcasts. Anyway, Pat was listening on that day in December when Arthur made his bold claim, and promptly ordered three LifeVacs, an ingeniously simple device that Arthur created in his garage some time ago. A device designed to save people from choking to death. Pat thought it would be a good idea to have a LifeVac handy in his place of work, in his vehicle, and in his home.
Pat was correct.
Recently, on Melissa’s birthday in fact, Ronan ran into the kitchen where his mother was working, gesturing frantically toward his throat. He was choking. On what, Melissa didn’t know. But she didn’t panic. She ran to her pantry and grabbed the LifeVac. She used it, as directed. After a few quick squeezes, a plastic cap from a water bottle left Ronan’s trachea where it had been lodged. Yesterday, on a phone call with Chuck, Melissa said that her son was alive because her husband loves my podcast.
This made me feel very good. But after thinking about it, it’s really Brian Kilmeade who should be acknowledged. It was Brian who told me about his childhood friend, Arthur, who quit his real job and embarked upon a mission to save the lives of countless strangers with a simple device far more efficacious than the Heimlich Maneuver. (Obviously, Brian didn’t say “efficacious.” He said “better.”) But – credit where it’s due – without Brian Kilmeade, I wouldn’t have had Arthur Lih on my podcast, and Pat Sullivan wouldn’t have heard his bold claim, and Ronan would no longer be in the picture.
And that would be tragic.
Funny how life works. People know people, and those people tell stories about the people they think other people should know. Some of those people wind up on podcasts. Some wind up in garages, creating devices to save the lives of strangers. And some of those strangers, no longer strangers, wind 
up on Arthur’s wall.
Mike
PS. I’m not a spokesman for LifeVac. But if I were, I’d send you to LifeVac.net, and tell you to get one. Or three. I might also advise you to forego the cheap Chinese knockoffs that Amazon continues to offer. In my experience, it’s best not to skimp on smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, and other devices that can save your life.