A student has come forward to share how her Apple Watch prevented carbon monoxide overdose.
On December 29, Delaware University student Natalia Nasatka started feeling “extremely exhausted” in her residence in Smyrna, a hamlet in Kent and New Castle counties in the state of Delaware. She was with her cat at the time.
The student then said to ABC6 Philadelphia that she was “too weak to try to find [her] phone” when her vision went “blurry.” She swiftly reached for her Apple Watch and pressed the SOS button.
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The student had no idea what would have happened if she hadn’t had her Apple Watch on her person.
After hitting the SOS button, Nasatka’s apartment was alerted to the emergency services, and firemen arrived to discover her unconscious on her bed.
They ‘yanked [her] out of bed,’ she recalls hearing them announce their arrival with a shout.
“I just started crying and saying ‘I want to live,'” the student says. “I desire to survive.”
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It was later revealed by Nasatka that she had fainted due to a carbon monoxide leak; the fire department monitor recorded ’80 parts per million’ in the apartment, which is considered a ‘very high’ level.
Moreover, Safewise lists the following frightening signs of carbon monoxide poisoning in addition to unconsciousness: “Headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, shortness of breath, and fatigue.”
Because carbon monoxide is colorless, tasteless, and smelly, it is difficult to detect and can become fatal if not detected quickly enough. It interacts with red blood cells and starves the body of oxygen after entering the lungs.
Fortunately, Nasatka was able to recover from her carbon monoxide poisoning at the hospital and was reunited with her cat at home on New Year’s Day.
The student acknowledges that she didn’t have a carbon monoxide alarm installed in her flat and believes the gas must have come from a malfunctioning heater.
Carbon monoxide is produced when fuels such as wood, gas, propane, or charcoal are burned.
Gas buildup to hazardous levels can occur from poorly ventilated appliances and motors. The buildup is exacerbated in a closely enclosed setting, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Since returning home, Nasatka has been experiencing “waves of emotions,” especially “knowing how close [she] could have been to dying,” she tells ABC6 News.
“Of course, my cat was my first kiss on New Year’s.” she resolves. I picked her up and said, “Whatever our mission is on earth, it’s not over yet. I’ve been saying this since I got home.”
Take this story as a huge, fat reminder to check your carbon monoxide detector if you ever needed one more excuse.
It is advised by the CDC to replace your batteries every six months.
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