Natalie Nasatka said she was preparing for her day on the morning of December 29 when she began to suffer from symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.
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"I started feeling weak and dizzy and my vision was going blurry," she said. "I was too weak to try to find my phone, so I used my Apple Watch and held down the side button."
That SOS feature on the watch connected Nasatka directly to 911 while her phone simultaneously sent messages to her emergency contacts with her location. By this time, Nasatka said she couldn't move. The next thing she remembers is waking up with emergency responders carrying her down her stairs.
"Firefighters got me to my porch chairs where I was able to sit down, but I couldn't hold my head up. I was crying, saying 'I want to live,'" she said.
Nasatka was rushed to a nearby emergency room, where she was treated for carbon monoxide poisoning. She spent nearly 24 hours in the ER.
Rescuers couldn't find her cat who was hiding upstairs, so they closed her bedroom door and opened a window for fresh air.
"Definitely waves of emotions, knowing how close I could have been to dying," said Nasatka. "Of course, my first kiss on New Years was my cat. Picked her up ... I've been saying this since I got home that, whatever our purpose here is on Earth is not done yet."
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She believes the leak came from her heater, and a carbon monoxide detector is something Nasatka said she did not have.
She is now encouraging people to make sure they have all the necessary sensors and detectors in their homes.
"I didn't smell anything, I didn't hear anything, didn't taste anything different," said Nasatka.
Nasatka said her apartment maintenance team has since repaired her hot water heater. She also had a new carbon monoxide detector installed.