British expat who lost sister to carbon monoxide to run London marathon

AN expat who lost his sister to carbon monoxide poisoning is fighting to raise awareness in Spain where the mortality rate is three times as high as in Britain.

Adam Samuel, 33, lost his journalist sister, Katie, exactly five years ago when she died inhaling toxic fumes just eight weeks after her wedding.

The English teacher, who lives in Sanlucar de Barrameda, near Jerez, will run his first London marathon in April for the Katie Haines Memorial Trust, set up by his Wimbledon-based family.

He said: “Katie was brilliant at fundraising, she ran marathons for friends of hers that had passed away and it’s ironic ten years later that I’m running for her.”

“The most important thing for us is to put the message out there continuously that with carbon monoxide you can’t see it, you can’t smell it and you can’t hear it – so you have to get an alarm and ventilate well.”

After just a week of publicising his initial £750 goal to go towards professional awareness-raising videos, he received half the sponsorship and hopes for much more.

Previous videos from the trust have featured in the British national press but Mr Samuel explained the difficulty of promoting a UK-registered charity in Spain.

“It needs to be as hard-hitting as possible,” said he said.

Carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas, can be produced by poorly-fitted appliances or the burning of fuel without sufficient ventilation.

In Spain, carbon monoxide poisoning kills 125 people each year compared to around 40 in Britain.

To support the Katie Haines Memorial Foundation, visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=AdamSamuel