Lifestyle
Natalie Nasatka said that when she became very ill, her “survival instincts kicked in when I was at my weakest.”
CBS News 3
A woman who nearly died from carbon monoxide poisoning was lucky to survive after her Apple Watch’s SOS feature called emergency services.
Natalie Nasatka of Delaware said her “survival instincts kicked in” when she accidentally woke up around 8 a.m. on Dec. 29 feeling weak, dizzy and short of breath.
Feeling worse than usual when the weather was bad, the 40-year-old veteran decided to cancel his plans for the day and go to bed.
But when Nasatka woke up on her couch around noon, her symptoms continued and her vision began to become increasingly blurred.
“My survival instincts kicked in when I was at my weakest.” Nasatka told DM: It was realized that her health was at risk and she needed medical assistance.
Nasatka said she kept pressing the side button on her Apple Watch because she was too weak to look for her phone.
“I used the SOS feature on my Apple Watch to call 911. I told them I might have CO poisoning and was too weak to move to leave the house.” said Nasatka.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas produced by the combustion of fuel. When carbon monoxide accumulates in the blood, a person can become poisoned.
Emergency services and firefighters quickly responded and rushed to Nasatka’s home, where they found a helpless woman in bed, barely conscious.
“When I heard the firefighters yelling ‘Fire Department’ and pulling me out of bed, I just started crying and said, ‘I want to live. I want to live,’ ” she told CBS.
Nasatka was taken to an ambulance waiting outside and given oxygen before arriving at the hospital.
A CT scan of Nasatka’s brain showed no signs of injury, and he was kept at Bayhealth Kent Campus Hospital for 24 hours before being released.
“I’ve been riding a wave of emotions,” Nasatka told CBS.
Nasatka said firefighters confirmed that the cause of her health concerns was carbon monoxide.
A veteran in Delaware said he heard a fire department monitor “showing very high levels of 80 parts per million inside the apartment.”
Nasatka, who did not have a carbon monoxide detector, believes the gas came from the apartment’s heater.
She admitted that the problem had been occurring for a month after replacing the heater in her apartment, but building maintenance would not reveal the reason.
At least 420 people have died in the United States from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. According to the CDC. In 2022 alone, 1,244 people died from carbon monoxide poisoning in the United States.
By 2023, the number of deaths from carbon monoxide has fallen to just 336 people.
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