STRONGSVILLE — Tracie Sidloski wears a necklace with a picture of her daughter that she never takes off; it’s a daily reminder of what her smile looked like before she passed away.
Next week will mark four years since Tracie and her husband, Dave Sidloski, lost their daughter Allyson Sidloski to carbon monoxide poisoning.
“When she was a junior at the University of Cincinnati, she was boating with friends on a lake with some friends. They were doing normal things that boaters do and enjoying themselves. Ally had been on the back of the boat for most of the day, and eventually she did go into the water to cool off, they thought she was dipping her head in the water... At that point, she had passed out and they lost her under the water. From what the reports indicate, she was basically in an area with carbon monoxide most of the day,” said Dave.
Ally’s father said they found 35% of carbon monoxide in her blood, and to this day, how she died is the biggest shock to her family.
“Neither one of or any of our family or friends had ever heard of something like this happening. It was very shocking because she knew how to swim, that wasn't the issue. It was that the carbon monoxide levels were so high that it knocked her unconscious and she couldn't even attempt to swim,” said Tracie.
Carbon monoxide is often called the silent killer. It is a potentially deadly gas that is odorless, colorless and tasteless. Sometimes, it is possible for dangerous levels of carbon monoxide to build up from gasoline-powered generators that are often found on larger boats.
“A lot of people are not aware the back of boats has a risk for carbon monoxide, and unfortunately with boats these days the back deck is sometimes manufactured with seating and cup holders that invites folks to be on the back of the boat,” said Dave.
Wanting to prevent this from happening to other families, the duo started a foundation called “We Play for Three.” Three is the number Ally wore from high school through college on her soccer jersey.
“We're blessed to have Ally for 21-years, but she should still be here. And you know, we must live every day with that, but we want to do our part in making sure this does not happen to other families,” said Dave.
The foundation’s mission is to make boaters and marine manufacturers constantly aware of the fatal risks of carbon monoxide and to implement safeguards to help eliminate carbon monoxide accidents.
“We’ve also created a foundation where we have returned over $150,000 in college scholarships to young ladies in need. And then at her Alma Mater the University of Cincinnati, we have an endowment fund. We continue to do events throughout the year in memory of Ally, and we raise money to give back to these young ladies in need,” said Dave.
Ally was known to be a people person, and her parents believe she would be proud of their mission to help others.
“She was a very kind soul, and I think she would be very proud of the fact that we are continuing that legacy on her behalf,” said Tracie.
The National Council of Carbon Monoxide reached out to the couple and is interested in partnering to continue their efforts to educate people on the dangers of carbon monoxide and boating nationally.
“Many people said this is shocking to us and we've had people go as far as saying we're selling our boat because they want nothing to do with it anymore,” said Dave.
“We also have had people that say they have a carbon monoxide detector on their boat now, and they named it the Sid-stick or Alley. And so, I do think that it gives us a little bit of solace that we can prevent this from happening to others,” said Tracie.
A part of their goals is working with state senators to spread awareness and make it mandatory for people to have a carbon monoxide detector on their boat.
