Eight-year-old Landon McCubbin choked to death at school while firefighters and nurses stood helpless without the one tool that might have saved him. Now his mother is fighting to put anti-choking devices in every Kentucky classroom.

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Lauren Bagshaw's 8-year-old son Landon was the kind of kid teachers dream about. The third-grader at Boston Elementary would finish his work early, then help struggling classmates with their math instead of playing. He saved up his school reward points to give his entire class extra game time. When he saw a crying child on the playground, he'd stop what he was doing, put his arm around them, and walk them around until they felt better.

"His teachers told me that when Landon's in their class, they wish they had 24 students just like him," Lauren said. "He just loved everyone."

Landon died on November 21st, 2022.

On that awful day, the fire department happened to be at Boston Elementary doing fire drills. School nurses were there. The Nelson County Sheriff's Office quickly responded. Trained professionals acted immediately when Landon started choking on a small bouncy ball. They performed the Heimlich maneuver multiple times. They tried everything they could think of.

But the ball was too deeply lodged in his throat.

"They literally sat there and watched him die," Lauren said. "There was nothing possible for us to do. And it just made me feel helpless."