From One Story to Another: Why We Fight for CO Safety

During an informal gab session with my friend Charon McNabb over 10 years ago, I learned that she had just begun her quest as a champion to strike out injuries and life-long challenges for those who were victims of carbon monoxide poisoning. I was both shocked and intrigued as she shared her personal story of a decade of harm and injury from her own home through constant carbon monoxide exposure from her appliances. 

Carbon monoxide is commonly emitted through kitchen appliances, including gas stoves.

Charon had many health challenges during this time and was in search of answers to her medical issues. I’m sure it was a stressful, frustrating, scary, and crazy process to finally reach the answers for herself and her family and friends who loved and wanted to support her. It was through her own experiences that Charon made the bold decision to create an organization that would work on behalf of those with similar experiences.

Learn about CO basics: https://www.ncoaa.us/what-is-carbon-monoxide

A Moving Day Memory That Changed How I See Carbon Monoxide

I learned a great deal from Charon that day and shared with her that I, too, had a CO story. As my family moved across the state when my 3 children were young (boys 4 and 5, girl 11 months), we were quite excited to welcome the large moving truck into our front yard. I was happy to begin setting up our new home and digging out our beds and furniture. My boys were eager to “unload” their little Hot Wheels and play around the BIG TRUCK. With the permission of the movers, the boys spent a wonderful day riding their bikes up and down the ramps attached to the truck and watching the movers unload our household belongings. When my sons began to complain of severe headaches and nausea later that evening, I surprisingly learned that their “fun day” hanging around the big truck was harmful after a trip to urgent care and the emergency room.  

I never would have guessed the boys could be in harm’s way. The truck wasn’t always running. They were not riding or sitting near the back of the truck. The truck was parked out in the open. I am thankful there seems to be no residual effects for my sons from our move-in day, but I was inspired to learn as much as I could about CO. Had I known of the extra dangers of CO exposure for children, or the dangers from the engines of large equipment that I learned from NCOAA resources and webinars, our move-in day would have looked very different.      

Learn about who is most at risk and how to protect yourself: https://www.ncoaa.us/preventive-measures

Stories That Stay With You

Through the years, I have been referring back to the NCOAA website and learning new information about CO and the work NCOAA has been doing to decrease the number of CO poisonings and deaths. I happily agreed to help as a volunteer for the first CO Safety Summit. It was awesome to experience the drive and passion of individuals from many different professions and organizations coming together to work in partnerships to tackle the CO health crises. Researchers, manufacturers, first responders, standards and codes experts, and data collectors presented the facts and proposed solutions to end CO poisoning.  Partnerships were formed, work groups created, and commitments were strengthened to continue the important work of ending carbon monoxide poisoning. 

As impressive as this was, what made the greatest impression was the CO stories. Speaker after speaker shared how CO exposure had a profound effect on their life. CO emergencies in daycares, schools,  resorts and hotels, community buildings, vacation rentals, primary residences, and more. Emotions were evident from the speakers but also from the audience as we listened and shared in the seriousness of the topic, whether the stories had a positive outcome or the worst possible outcome. These stories represent the “why” folks continue the important work of preventing CO injury and death.  

Join us at the CO Safety Summit 2025! 

The Alarm That Saved a Family

I share my support of the dedication and important work that is being done by the great people at the National Carbon Monoxide Awareness Association. I encourage friends and family to take the necessary precautions to keep themselves safe from carbon monoxide exposure, whether in their homes by adding  CO monitors and regular maintenance of gas appliances, or on the go with a personal CO detector. On one such occasion, when I was sharing my experiences from the CO Safety Summit, I heard another CO story shared by my college friend and sorority sister of 40 years, Martha. She said to me, “funny you mention carbon monoxide, I had a scary experience with that myself.”

This is her story: 

Last year in May our family had a lifesaving experience. It was 9 am on a Wednesday morning, and I had begun my work day at my desk. Suddenly, an alarm went off inside our home. As I ruled out the two smoke alarms mounted on our ceilings, I followed the sound of the beeps to a wall unit right next to my desk. It was our carbon monoxide detector! What the heck! I didn’t know what to do, so I called 911. 

The dispatcher asked me some questions, notably if I smelled anything in the air. I did not. She instructed me to evacuate the house, and she’d have the Fire Department dispatched right away. So I woke up my teenage boys, and the three of us left the house. When the FD showed up, in full gear, with multiple vehicles, one of the responders went inside with a CO reader. He came out and told me the CO levels were extremely high and how lucky we were that the alarm unit went off.  

It was the heating unit in our mechanical room. There was a leak. That made my heart skip a beat. I mean, I was sitting right there, not even 15 feet from the heater. I would have kept on working through the morning, while the boys slept upstairs - all of us unaware of the killer in the air we breathed. Thank God for that alarm! 

Following the incident, we purchased a fresh alarm (which is necessary when the old one has been triggered). Carbon monoxide really is the “silent killer.” If you don’t have an alarm in your home, I say RUN now and get one. For the safety of your family.  

After hearing Martha share her experience, I will be forever grateful that there was a CO detector present in her home. I am thankful that she and her sons did not become victims of the “silent killer," as she mentioned. Martha and I will be able to create more memories of our friendship and our shared commitment to our sorority, and I won’t have to only reflect on the memories we made in the past. We have a new common purpose - to share the importance of having a working CO detector in your home to protect yourself and your family.   

Join Me At The Summit

I am looking forward to attending the 3rd Annual CO Safety Summit in Biloxi, Mississippi, this summer to learn of the important strides that have been made in the fight to eradicate CO harm. Much has been accomplished, but the work continues until there are no longer victim stories to be told. It is my story, Martha's story, Charon's story, and so many others that encouraged me to step up and take the lead in creating an annual fundraising event in support of the NCOAA. 

Previous seminar at last year's CO Safety Summit

I am excited about the first-ever CO Safety Open coming this fall. This new fundraising event has been a labor of love and an opportunity for me to make a difference in the fight to end the senseless carbon monoxide injuries and deaths. The CO Safety Open is created as an annual golfing event to raise funds to ensure that NCOAA can continue its critical education and prevention efforts to protect more families and save lives. I took on the challenge of taking an annual outing concept and bringing it to reality with the help of many others. The inaugural event will be a tournament-style evening hosted at Topgolf Auburn Hills on September 18, 2025, including a meal, raffles, auctions, contests, and a whole lot of laughs. The CO Safety Open is shaping up to be an evening of fun, fellowship, and impact as we work to Drive Out CO poisoning. 

Join us for this great event along with all your family/friends and share the important message of the National Carbon Monoxide Awareness Association and how we all can help in this fight.   

~Michelle Binkowski