This happened in 2016. I had always cooked with my Mum from when I was very little so knew how to use all of our gas appliances comfortably. This particular evening I was preparing dinner for my Mum and I, I ensured the eye level grill had lit and then turned my back in order to prepare the next part of the meal.

I’m unsure how much time passed but all of a sudden my Mum came running down the stairs (practically flew, that’s how fast she was moving) and yelled ‘Don’t touch anything that may cause an ignition, I can smell gas all the way on the next floor up!’.

We checked the eye level grill, to discover that although it lit initially it had gone out and I had no idea, although I’d been stood in the kitchen the entire time. Because of the Anosmia, I am unable to smell Mercaptan which is also known as methanethiol. It is a harmless but pungent-smelling gas which has been described as having the stench of rotting cabbages/eggs or smelly socks.

I felt horrified when this happened as if I had managed to blow up the kitchen, we have a household of five people on each side of us and there would’ve been no way to warn them at the time. The thought of injuring all those innocent people absolutely terrified me.

The incident made me lose confidence in myself as from then on I always had to make sure that there was somebody in the kitchen with me if I planned to use any of our gas appliances to prevent it from happening again.

Despite what could have been, there is an upside to the end of this story. Through locating Fifth Sense, reading their Safety Information and my Dad diligently ordering the detectors which would not only keep me safe, but everyone on the household, it helped to improve my confidence. It has enabled me to move something to my ‘I can do this on my own independently and safely list’ and there is no feeling like it in the world.