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7-Year-Old Boy with Cerebral Palsy Hailed as a ‘Hero’ After Crawling to Family’s Rescue

7-year-old Michael Martinez was determined to help his family from a could-be disaster. Despite not being able to walk, the young hero potentially saved his family’s lives.

While the Martinez family was asleep on the night of February 4, the 7-year-old heard the sound of a carbon monoxide alarm going off. According to Fox News, his parents slept in a room upstairs and were not awakened by the alarm.

The primary issue is that Martinez battles cerebral palsy, which is an array of disorders that arise in the early stages of childhood. Martinez is living with the permanent nature of the condition, which requires him to traverse via wheelchair. Further, his mother, Angie, explained to Fox News that he has limited motor function in his right arm.

According to Angie Martinez, the family had never heard the alarm in the 14 years spent in the house previously. The alarm went off at around 11 p.m.

This led to Michael crawling up the stairs to his parent’s room to wake them up. Angie Martinez said they immediately went downstairs, and initially thought it was the smoke detector needing new batteries.

The family was unfamiliar with the alarm, and after a brief search online, discovered that it was triggered due to rising carbon monoxide levels. Based on the knowledge they gathered, the family quickly needed to evacuate to breathe fresh air.

Close Call with Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

According to Angie Martinez, the family started realizing the symptoms as they got outside. Angie said she felt nauseous while explaining her sister who lived in the home was also feeling unwell with chest pains.

Later, the Martinez family discovered the cause of the gas. A stove burner that was left on through the night.

Carbon Monoxide is not only deadly but odorless and invisible. This makes it very dangerous if the source or presence is not known. It is widely considered to be one of the most dangerous types of air poisoning in the world.

Besides causing nausea and other symptoms, the true threat is that carbon monoxide blocks air from getting to body tissue. This can quickly and devastatingly suffocate humans and other animals who need oxygen to breathe.

Michael Martinez Subject of GoFundMe

After the event, Michael’s aunt took to crowdfunding platform GoFundMe to generate funds for her nephew. The goal in mind is to get the 7-year-old a new motorized wheelchair. The goal is $15,000.

Currently, the fundraiser has totaled $4,718 of the goal. Over 116 people have donated at the time of writing.

In the post, Evelyn Vargas writes:

“Had it not been for Michael and his bravery it could have been a sad outcome for my whole family.”