Real Stories
Carbon monoxide has no smell, no colour, no warning. These are the people it has taken, and the families who refused to let their deaths mean nothing.
Hudson Foley
1999 to 2023
Hudson was 24 years old when he died in Ecuador. He had been travelling through South America on a three-month programme, volunteering in the mornings, learning Spanish in the afternoons, and exploring with other travellers in the evenings. He had already spent two years travelling through Australia during the pandemic, working wherever he could to fund the next adventure. He was fit, healthy and full of life.
On 30 August 2020, Hudson was found dead in his accommodation. The cause was carbon monoxide poisoning. His toxicology report confirmed 57% CO saturation. There was no alarm. There was no warning. The host family, who had cared for Hudson as one of their own, had never heard of carbon monoxide.
His father Paul flew to Ecuador the next day. His mother Cathy, sister Natasha and brother Jordan followed four days later.
What happened to Hudson was preventable. A portable CO alarm, costing less than £20, could have saved his life.
Since his death, Cathy has launched the Hudson PAC Safe Appeal in partnership with Safer Tourism, taken Hudson's story to Westminster, helped secure a parliamentary debate on FCDO travel safety guidelines, and seen CO alarms committed to sale in every UK airport. Hudson's story has already changed the lives of other travellers.
katie haines
1979 to 2010
Katie was 31 years old and had just returned from her honeymoon when she died at her home in Wokingham. A faulty boiler leaked carbon monoxide into the bathroom while she was in the bath. She had no alarm. She had no warning.
Her family set up the Katie Haines Memorial Trust to campaign for greater CO awareness, push for stronger legislation, and ensure no other family goes through what they went through. The Trust has spent over a decade advocating for audible alarms in every home with a fuel-burning appliance.
Katie's story is a reminder that CO risk does not only exist abroad. It is in homes across the UK, right now, in properties without alarms.
HAVE A STORY YOU WANT TO SHARE?
If you or someone you know has been affected by carbon monoxide poisoning and you want to share your experience, we'd like to hear from you. Every story told is another life that might be saved.
Take Action
Hudson's dad Paul said it simply: take a carbon monoxide alarm with you when you travel. It fits in your bag. It costs less than a round of airport pints. It works.