Bode Miller warns about carbon monoxide poising after all three kids hospitalized

World Cup and Olympic ski champ Bode Miller has warned parents about the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning after his three young children were briefly hospitalized after being exposed to the odorless, invisible gas while work was being done on their house.

Bode Miller and his wife Morgan both shared images on Instagram of their three youngest children in an emergency room, wearing oxygen masks, to reveal the “terrifying” medical ordeal that unfolded due to carbon monoxide emanating from a crane that had been operating in front of their home in Big Sky, Montana.

“Two weeks ago, we had a crane at our house to remove our broken hot tub,” Morgan Miller began her post, which featured 3-year-old twins Asher and Aksel and 19-month-old daughter Scarlet in hospital beds while being tended to medical staff.

“Asher, Aksel and Scarlet innocently stood on the front step of our house to watch the action which resulted in them getting carbon monoxide poisoning due to the lack of airflow in our driveway landing them in the ER,” the former professional beach volleyball player continued. “They were on high-flow oxygen for over four hours. It was a terrifying experience but thanking my lucky stars they are OK.”

Bode Miller’s post focused on 3-year-old Asher, who had been hospitalized seven months earlier after suffering a febrile seizure, the Daily Mail reported. He said that he and his wife actually had tried to keep the children “inside for obviously safety reasons,” while the crane was in operation. He said the children still “got really sick from it.”

Miller said he was sharing the news of his latest family crisis “as a reminder to all parents of the dangers of carbon monoxide.” Miller said he was urging parents “to test their CO detectors.”

Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs when carbon monoxide builds up in the blood, with the risk of serious tissue damage, or even death, according to the Mayo Clinic.  Burning fuels, including gas, wood, propane or charcoal, can make carbon monoxide. Appliances and engines that aren’t well vented also can cause the gas to build up to dangerous levels, as can tightly enclosed spaces. Anyone exposed to carbon monoxide needs to get into fresh air and immediately seek medical care.

Miller subsequently deleted his post about Asher, though it’s unclear why. It’s well known that he and his wife have faced crisis and tragedy involving their children before. Together, the couple share six children, also including sons Edward, 8, and Easton, 4. But they lost their 19-month-old daughter Emmeline in June 2018 when she drowned in a neighbor’s swimming pool. She had slipped out the back door of the neighbor’s home while she and her mother were visiting.

Last month, the retired downhill skier marked the fifth anniversary of Emmeline’s death on Instagram by sharing a photo of him gazing at her soon after her birth. “On the night of her birth our midwife noted that Emmy was ‘here to change the world.’ … Emmy was fearless, determined and fierce from the moment she was born. We miss you Emmy. 19 months was never going to be long enough to hold you in our arms.”

In December, Morgan Miller revealed on Instagram that their son Asher had suffered a febrile seizure that “scared us half to death.” She explained that she rode in the back of an ambulance with him to the hospital.

“Life is constantly walking a knife edge and it’s not something we are unfamiliar with,” Morgan said, explaining that it was a frightening reminder of Emmy’s drowning. “We took that same ambulance to the same hospital we took Emmy to but this time we got to leave with our child.”

The type of seizure that sent Asher Miller to the hospital is triggered by fever, “Good Morning America” reported, citing information from the National Institutes of Health. A febrile seizure is typically brought on by a fever of 101 degrees Fahrenheit or more, and can occur when a child has a common cold or flu. A febrile seizure does not signify that a child has epilepsy, according to the NIH.