Disabled boy saves his family's lives after hearing 'beeping noise'
A seven-year-old boy has been hailed a hero after alerting his unwitting family to a deadly threat in the middle of the night in an act that likely saved their lives.
Seven of Michael Martinez’s relatives were asleep in his home in the US state of Texas last week when the young boy, who has cerebral palsy, heard a persistent beeping sound, KHOU reported.
Michael, who normally uses a wheelchair, told the network he was shaking because he was so scared, but managed to crawl his way to his parent’s room to tell them about the noise.
After investigating, his mum and dad discovered the source of the beeping was their carbon monoxide (CO) detector, which had been set off by the home’s stove that had been left on.
“He’s our hero, he saved our family,” his mum Angie told the network.
Michael was born premature at 27 weeks weighing just three pounds, and relies on a wheelchair to move around.
His mum and auntie said they experienced symptoms of CO poisoning when they were woken up but have since recovered.
The family believes that no one else was harmed due to Michael’s brave act.
Ms Martinez told the network Michael sometimes struggled at school because the other kids stared at him in his wheelchair.
“Whenever I take him to school, the kids stare at him...He wants to play, and he wants to run like the other kids,” she said.
“We have our moments where we … Michael and I just cry and just hold each other.”
She said she hoped to one day upgrade Michael’s manual wheelchair with an automatic one.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
