His Story • Our Family • Why We Started
BEFORE YOU HEAR WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM, WE WANT YOU TO MEET HIM.
Westyn Bryan Mandrell was our “Bubby Bear” and our little Texas tornado. He was born with GBS and spent his first 10 days in the NICU. We could not even hold him when he was first born. As a baby he was very colicky, and because his daddy worked long hours, many of those early days were just me and Westyn. Those were hard days for me until we found the vacuum cleaner and how it soothed him and would stop his crying almost instantly, so it ran for hours on end.
At 8 months old, he started walking and skipped right over crawling.
At 9 months, the colic finally eased — and the Texas tornado really took off.
He climbed, ran, banged, explored, and got into everything. He was always full speed.
He was famous for losing one shoe out of every pair.
His first little sound sounded to us like “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” He talked later than he walked and had only a few words.
He loved his Daddy, Bubba and Paw Paw, and his little bottom teeth made his smile unforgettable.
The Day Everything Changed: November 8, 2022
A PHONE CALL NO PARENT SHOULD EVER HAVE TO RECEIVE.
One day Westyn was home with me and unusually calm, and I remember thinking maybe my wild little boy was finally slowing down. The next day I left to clean a house nearby while my mother-in-law watched him. About 45 minutes later, I got the call that changed our lives.
He was eating lunch and had choked. Jeri had called the ambulance after she couldn’t get it out and they arrived in less than 5 minutes but when they left the house he was not breathing. They couldn’t get the fruit out until he reached the hospital, and by then it was too late. We were also told later he was beginning to get sick and his tonsils were very swollen, which contributed to the choking.
HOW WESTYN’S STORY BECAME OUR PURPOSE
The Question We Could Not Stop Asking
After Westyn died, we were devastated and completely shocked. It was hard to understand how something like this could happen to our family. I kept thinking: “There has to be something more that could have been done.”
I had already experienced the unimaginable loss of a child. Losing Westyn made me realize how quickly a normal day can become a parent’s worst nightmare. We had to turn our tragedy into something that meant something.
Then Someone Told Us About LifeVac
A friend who worked with the sheriff’s office told us about LifeVac, a device we had never heard of. It was an airway clearance device that removed obstructions by sucking them out. Essentially a mini plunger for your throat. He wanted to equip every Rains County patrol car with one in Westyn’s honor. Then the Women’s Service Club wanted to make Westyn their yearly project and place one in every restaurant, school and daycare in our small town. LifeVac was such a big help, they gave marketing materials, and guidance as we began building the foundation.
Restaurants in Emory received airway-clearance devices.
We equipped local schools and daycares with devices as well.
We focused on awareness, education, access to emergency resources, and helping communities prepare for choking emergencies.
What began as one family’s loss quickly became a mission to help protect other children.
About a month after the devices went into the schools, a kindergarten student choked on a quarter. The LifeVac we had provided was in the cafeteria, and staff were able to retrieve it and use it during the emergency. In that moment it felt like we were doing what we were meant to do, a reminder that Westyn’s story was reaching places we never could have imagined and saving lives.
THE SCHOOL ASKED FOR MORE
The school contacted us about getting more devices– enough to have one in every elementary classroom. We realized this could not stop in our town. We needed to advocate for schools all across Texas.
OUR MISSION
To raise choking awareness, help schools/daycares/anyone access airway-clearance devices, educate families, and use Westyn’s story to push for meaningful change.
WE TOOK WESTYN’S STORY TO AUSTIN
Once we knew our purpose, we reached out to Texas state leaders. Our family traveled to Austin, testified before the committee, and worked through the legislative process to make school access to airway-clearance devices part of Texas law. HB 549 passed and was named the Westyn Bryan Mandrell Act. It was a proud day for our family. It could not bring Westyn back, but it gave his name a place in a change that can help other families.
From a Family’s Loss to Texas Law
THE WESTYN BRYAN MANDRELL ACT — HB 549
OUR FAMILY KEPT GOING
One month after losing Westyn, I unexpectedly became pregnant with my baby girl, Josalynn (Jojo). For a while she looked so much like Westyn that it felt like seeing a little piece of him again. As she grew, her personality became completely different — calm, sweet, and hardly ever crying. She did not replace Westyn. She became part of how our family learned to heal and keep moving forward.
WHAT WE DO
Our Mission and What We Do
Choking-awareness education • Outreach to schools, daycares, restaurants and families • Fundraising and community events • Support for access to airway-clearance resources • Advocacy • Keeping Westyn’s story alive through service
Westyn’s Run/Walk
Saturday, October 31, 2026 • 7:00 AM check-in • 8:00 AM start • Emory / Rains County Courthouse
¼-mile Little Steps • 1-mile Family Fun • 5K (3.1 miles) • Costume contest • Vendors • Family fun
“I never wanted my baby boy to be forgotten or for his name to not be spoken. That will never happen.”
His name will be spoken, and his life will save lives for years to come.
RUN FOR A REASON • WALK WITH A PURPOSE
