Help Lucy recover from Carbon Monoxide poisoning
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#LookingAfterLucy #HeatersCanMakeYouSick #BeSure
Lucy, 12, is struggling to recover from Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning – please help her battling mum buy a safe heater and pay medical bills.
‘It doesn’t make a sound. You can’t see it or smell it. But while your gas heater is running, carbon monoxide could be spilling into your home.’ Energy Safe Victoria’s current safety campaign
Our gorgeous friend Lucy - a sweet, caring 12 year old – should have been safe sleeping in her bedroom. Instead, toxic carbon monoxide from a faulty central gas heater silently starved her young, growing body and brain of oxygen, causing serious physical and neurological damage. We urge you to read the section ‘Lucy’s Story’ below for the full picture of how her situation unfolded – this could happen to any family!
It’s now a long, and frighteningly unsure road to recovery for Lucy. We are so grateful she’s still with us – CO is a silent killer – but this is a situation unfamiliar to the family and doctors alike so the journey ahead could be long, and the long-term effects are uncertain. While a full recovery is hoped for, it is expected to take much time and support.
For now, and for as long as it takes, Lucy needs full time care to support her gradual return to health. And her family needs help.
Her amazing mother Kathy is absolutely there for her – but at a significant cost. Kathy has put everything on hold to support her much-adored daughter’s return to health, having to resign from a hard-earned job as a Teacher’s Aide and deferring her Masters in Teaching.
As a sole parent, Kathy has worked incredibly hard to create a more secure financial future for her family. She was already struggling to keep working as she suffers from a chronic and increasingly debilitating knee injury which has significantly impacted her capacity to function daily.
Brother Jack, soon turning 17, is doing everything he can to help while also striving hard to succeed in his Year 11 VCE as well as working part-time at McDonalds – earning vital income. He is a champion on so many levels!
There have been many kind offers of help for this much-loved and respected family. The most vital help we can offer right now is financial. The family are surviving on bare minimum, barely covering the basics. So where will our donations go?
The first priority is new, safe heating that will run economically to get them through the rest of the winter and support Lucy’s recovery. Quotes are coming in at more than $5,500 which is completely unreachable for this family.
If there’s anything extra, we’d love to contribute to:
· Medical expenses - because Lucy deserves the very best opportunity to recover and Kathy has foregone her own medical appointments to prioritise this.
. Help with mounting day-to-day expenses - including covering the spike in electricity bills they’re facing from having to currently use plug-in electric heaters to provide safe heat on these very cold winter nights.
Our target is $6,000 to at least cover the cost of installing new heating, but every cent will make a big difference.
This fund has been set up with the assistance of Lucy’s family and friends with the proceeds going directly to Lucy’s family. Please share this cause to your Facebook timeline and other social media sites and by email to enable us to help Lucy and her family.
We ask you to dig deep, and thank you from the bottom of our hearts in anticipation of your generosity to help this beautiful family in their time of need.
We also ask that you read on for the full picture of how Lucy’s situation unfolded. This is quite a story and it’s horrifying to think it could happen to any one of us. We urge you to read through to the end, as this is not only a plea for financial help for Lucy and her family in their time of need - it’s a community service announcement to get your gas heaters checked often by a registered gas fitter (and to trust your gut instinct).
LUCY’S STORY
Lucy, Kathy and Jack live in a unit in the south eastern suburbs. Lucy sleeps in a loft bed. In the ceiling above her room is the gas heater unit.
Over the past few years, Lucy started presenting with a growing number of health concerns. They were low grade but still troubled her. Some investigations were done but nothing showed up.
This Autumn, when the heater first started to go on, Lucy felt increasingly lethargic, lacking in energy and was experiencing muscle and joint pains. She had an increasing feeling that something just wasn’t right. Sometimes she also experienced double vision. She felt scared and trapped and couldn’t express what was going on for her as it felt so confusing.
In June, Lucy’s physical condition deteriorated significantly, with muscle and nerve pains spreading around her whole body, increased headaches, some stomach pains at times and significant pallor of her skin tone . There were numerous trips to the GP and an appointment was booked with a rheumatologist. Then, over the course of one and half days, Kathy saw her daughter’s physical and mental function decline even more rapidly right before her eyes. Lucy had difficulty walking, lacked co-ordination, and increased pains coming in waves around her whole body. Kathy called an ambulance, also checking in with the GP, and Lucy was admitted to hospital after presenting to the Emergency Department. It was then that the real hunt for answers began.
Lucy underwent a barrage of testing at the hospital with various specialist departments, but nothing showed up. She was sent home after a few days with medication to manage what had progressed to significant pain. Looking back, we now know that home was the worst place Lucy could be!
After a few days being at home her health symptoms continued to deteriorate - now including tremors, sharp stabbing stomach pains, lack of overall muscle control and strength, nerve pains around her entire body, confusion and difficulty speaking at times, intense headaches and extremely uncharacteristic mood swings, and irrational behaviours and panic attacks. During this time, Kathy called the hospital several times to seek advice about Lucy’s continued deterioration, giving detailed symptoms.
Lucy went back to hospital again via ambulance, and for more testing but still nothing showed up. Pain medication was increased, and again Lucy was sent home after a couple of days. Once home, Kathy called the hospital several times asking guidance about Lucy’s continued deterioration. Without any other known cause, various suggestions were discussed, none of which adequately explained the magnitude of symptoms affecting Lucy and her serious deterioration.
Feeling desperate, and knowing her daughter so well, Kathy acted on her gut instinct that there was more to find out. She went back to her GP who knew them well, who thankfully thought outside the box with a range of suggestions, including checking the heater for carbon monoxide leakage.
Kathy immediately went home and turned her heater off just in case (in the middle of the July winter). The next step was testing by a registered gas plumber, qualified to assess CO levels.
At the site of the heater unit, just above Lucy’s room, the CO meter sat at zero for the first 8 minutes. But then it climbed incredibly quickly to the point that, after just 10 minutes, the plumber had to get out and turn the heater off fearing the risk of CO poisoning to himself! It’s terrifying to think how much further it might have gone up.
Kathy called the hospital immediately with this new information. On doctors' advice she called 000, resulting in not only an ambulance to transport Lucy to hospital again, but also fire trucks and police cars - this was serious stuff.
When the ambulance arrived, Lucy was given oxygen for the very first time - as it was now known she had confirmed exposure to CO. The oxygen treatment continued in hospital and the resulting difference in Lucy was remarkable. Her poor body had been starved of oxygen for many months or more, but because carbon monoxide poisoning does not delete the amount of oxygen in your body - it just masks it so that the body can’t absorb it - her oxygen level readings had always shown up as normal.
And now the unknown recovery journey begins. Time and support should see Lucy’s body heal, however she is recovering from a multitude of effects on her central nervous system and muscles.
Please everyone, Lucy and her family urge you to get your gas heaters and appliances checked by a qualified gas plumber, and install monitors, to make sure your family is safe.
We are so grateful to have Lucy. We wish her all the best in her recovery and give all our love and support to her beautiful mum Kathy and her amazingly supportive older brother Jack. Thank you for any support you can offer.
Useful resources about this important safety issue
Signs and symptoms - The Chase And Tyler Foundation
Registered gas fitters - The Chase And Tyler Foundation
Info on carbon monoxide poisoning - NHS (UK)
Energy Safe Victoria's latest safety campaign
Lucy, 12, is struggling to recover from Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning – please help her battling mum buy a safe heater and pay medical bills.
‘It doesn’t make a sound. You can’t see it or smell it. But while your gas heater is running, carbon monoxide could be spilling into your home.’ Energy Safe Victoria’s current safety campaign
Our gorgeous friend Lucy - a sweet, caring 12 year old – should have been safe sleeping in her bedroom. Instead, toxic carbon monoxide from a faulty central gas heater silently starved her young, growing body and brain of oxygen, causing serious physical and neurological damage. We urge you to read the section ‘Lucy’s Story’ below for the full picture of how her situation unfolded – this could happen to any family!
It’s now a long, and frighteningly unsure road to recovery for Lucy. We are so grateful she’s still with us – CO is a silent killer – but this is a situation unfamiliar to the family and doctors alike so the journey ahead could be long, and the long-term effects are uncertain. While a full recovery is hoped for, it is expected to take much time and support.
For now, and for as long as it takes, Lucy needs full time care to support her gradual return to health. And her family needs help.
Her amazing mother Kathy is absolutely there for her – but at a significant cost. Kathy has put everything on hold to support her much-adored daughter’s return to health, having to resign from a hard-earned job as a Teacher’s Aide and deferring her Masters in Teaching.
As a sole parent, Kathy has worked incredibly hard to create a more secure financial future for her family. She was already struggling to keep working as she suffers from a chronic and increasingly debilitating knee injury which has significantly impacted her capacity to function daily.
Brother Jack, soon turning 17, is doing everything he can to help while also striving hard to succeed in his Year 11 VCE as well as working part-time at McDonalds – earning vital income. He is a champion on so many levels!
There have been many kind offers of help for this much-loved and respected family. The most vital help we can offer right now is financial. The family are surviving on bare minimum, barely covering the basics. So where will our donations go?
The first priority is new, safe heating that will run economically to get them through the rest of the winter and support Lucy’s recovery. Quotes are coming in at more than $5,500 which is completely unreachable for this family.
If there’s anything extra, we’d love to contribute to:
· Medical expenses - because Lucy deserves the very best opportunity to recover and Kathy has foregone her own medical appointments to prioritise this.
. Help with mounting day-to-day expenses - including covering the spike in electricity bills they’re facing from having to currently use plug-in electric heaters to provide safe heat on these very cold winter nights.
Our target is $6,000 to at least cover the cost of installing new heating, but every cent will make a big difference.
This fund has been set up with the assistance of Lucy’s family and friends with the proceeds going directly to Lucy’s family. Please share this cause to your Facebook timeline and other social media sites and by email to enable us to help Lucy and her family.
We ask you to dig deep, and thank you from the bottom of our hearts in anticipation of your generosity to help this beautiful family in their time of need.
We also ask that you read on for the full picture of how Lucy’s situation unfolded. This is quite a story and it’s horrifying to think it could happen to any one of us. We urge you to read through to the end, as this is not only a plea for financial help for Lucy and her family in their time of need - it’s a community service announcement to get your gas heaters checked often by a registered gas fitter (and to trust your gut instinct).
LUCY’S STORY
Lucy, Kathy and Jack live in a unit in the south eastern suburbs. Lucy sleeps in a loft bed. In the ceiling above her room is the gas heater unit.
Over the past few years, Lucy started presenting with a growing number of health concerns. They were low grade but still troubled her. Some investigations were done but nothing showed up.
This Autumn, when the heater first started to go on, Lucy felt increasingly lethargic, lacking in energy and was experiencing muscle and joint pains. She had an increasing feeling that something just wasn’t right. Sometimes she also experienced double vision. She felt scared and trapped and couldn’t express what was going on for her as it felt so confusing.
In June, Lucy’s physical condition deteriorated significantly, with muscle and nerve pains spreading around her whole body, increased headaches, some stomach pains at times and significant pallor of her skin tone . There were numerous trips to the GP and an appointment was booked with a rheumatologist. Then, over the course of one and half days, Kathy saw her daughter’s physical and mental function decline even more rapidly right before her eyes. Lucy had difficulty walking, lacked co-ordination, and increased pains coming in waves around her whole body. Kathy called an ambulance, also checking in with the GP, and Lucy was admitted to hospital after presenting to the Emergency Department. It was then that the real hunt for answers began.
Lucy underwent a barrage of testing at the hospital with various specialist departments, but nothing showed up. She was sent home after a few days with medication to manage what had progressed to significant pain. Looking back, we now know that home was the worst place Lucy could be!
After a few days being at home her health symptoms continued to deteriorate - now including tremors, sharp stabbing stomach pains, lack of overall muscle control and strength, nerve pains around her entire body, confusion and difficulty speaking at times, intense headaches and extremely uncharacteristic mood swings, and irrational behaviours and panic attacks. During this time, Kathy called the hospital several times to seek advice about Lucy’s continued deterioration, giving detailed symptoms.
Lucy went back to hospital again via ambulance, and for more testing but still nothing showed up. Pain medication was increased, and again Lucy was sent home after a couple of days. Once home, Kathy called the hospital several times asking guidance about Lucy’s continued deterioration. Without any other known cause, various suggestions were discussed, none of which adequately explained the magnitude of symptoms affecting Lucy and her serious deterioration.
Feeling desperate, and knowing her daughter so well, Kathy acted on her gut instinct that there was more to find out. She went back to her GP who knew them well, who thankfully thought outside the box with a range of suggestions, including checking the heater for carbon monoxide leakage.
Kathy immediately went home and turned her heater off just in case (in the middle of the July winter). The next step was testing by a registered gas plumber, qualified to assess CO levels.
At the site of the heater unit, just above Lucy’s room, the CO meter sat at zero for the first 8 minutes. But then it climbed incredibly quickly to the point that, after just 10 minutes, the plumber had to get out and turn the heater off fearing the risk of CO poisoning to himself! It’s terrifying to think how much further it might have gone up.
Kathy called the hospital immediately with this new information. On doctors' advice she called 000, resulting in not only an ambulance to transport Lucy to hospital again, but also fire trucks and police cars - this was serious stuff.
When the ambulance arrived, Lucy was given oxygen for the very first time - as it was now known she had confirmed exposure to CO. The oxygen treatment continued in hospital and the resulting difference in Lucy was remarkable. Her poor body had been starved of oxygen for many months or more, but because carbon monoxide poisoning does not delete the amount of oxygen in your body - it just masks it so that the body can’t absorb it - her oxygen level readings had always shown up as normal.
And now the unknown recovery journey begins. Time and support should see Lucy’s body heal, however she is recovering from a multitude of effects on her central nervous system and muscles.
Please everyone, Lucy and her family urge you to get your gas heaters and appliances checked by a qualified gas plumber, and install monitors, to make sure your family is safe.
We are so grateful to have Lucy. We wish her all the best in her recovery and give all our love and support to her beautiful mum Kathy and her amazingly supportive older brother Jack. Thank you for any support you can offer.
Useful resources about this important safety issue
Signs and symptoms - The Chase And Tyler Foundation
Registered gas fitters - The Chase And Tyler Foundation
Info on carbon monoxide poisoning - NHS (UK)
Energy Safe Victoria's latest safety campaign
Fundraising team: WeLoveLucy (3)
Kerrie Richards
Organizer
Syndal VIC
Kathy Rintoul
Beneficiary
Jenny Fay
Team member
