The mother of a two-year-old girl who tragically died after contracting E. coli while on vacation has spoken out about the dangers of the bacteria. Katie Birchall revealed her heartbreak and the “incredibly difficult moment” when Allie passed away after returning from a trip to Turkey, the Manchester Evening News reports.
An inquest at Manchester Coroner’s Court heard last month how Allie and her family had stayed in an all-inclusive during the 10-day break from July 23, 2019. However, by July 27, she had taken one shift and got sick with diarrhoea. , stomach cramps and vomiting.
Eleven days later, Allie’s condition had deteriorated to such a degree that she could not be saved. The coroner’s report concluded that she had a “unique strain of Escherichia coli (E. coli) that must have originated in Turkey, but it is not possible to say how Allie acquired it.”
Allie, from Atherton, near Wigan, was admitted to Royal Bolton Hospital. “Doctors were concerned that Allie was suffering from hemolytic uremic syndrome caused by Shiga[-Toxin] producing Escherichia coli,” the coroner found.
Hemolytic uremic syndrome is a potentially fatal blood condition related to Shiga toxin E. coli, which can lead to kidney failure and brain damage. When she was diagnosed with both illnesses and they worsened, doctors decided Allie needed to be transferred to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital for supportive treatment, including dialysis, the inquest heard.
Allie went into an induced coma on August 1 and her family made the heartbreaking decision to stop her life support two days later, after an MRI revealed she had suffered brain damage, they said in the inquest. After nearly three years of waiting for answers about what happened to her little girl, the family is hoping that others will be spared suffering as they watched Allie being “snatched away in the cruelest way possible.”
Allie’s mother, 36, said: “Losing our little Allie so tragically and suddenly was heartbreaking for all of us, and it is still incredibly difficult to think that we will never see her again. When she was admitted to the hospital, we were all praying that she would recover. Being told that she had suffered brain damage was absolutely devastating.
“The whole experience has been nothing short of traumatic and we have lost a huge part of our lives. Allie had her whole life ahead of her before it was taken from her in the cruelest way possible. Her death is something we will never get over.
“Sadly, nothing can turn back the clock and bring our princess back to us, but we are grateful that the investigation is over and we at least have some answers. All we can hope for now is that others don’t have to suffer like our family.”
The coroner found little Allie’s medical cause of death to be encephalopathy (swelling of the brain) and other complications associated with hemolytic uremic syndrome, caused by infection with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (E. coli). Jatinder Paul, Irwin Mitchell’s senior associate attorney representing Allie’s loved ones, said: “Allie’s death continues to have a profound effect on her family, including her mother Katie, who in particular is understandably still fighting for accept what they have done. everything has passed.
“While we can’t change what happened, Allie’s family at least now have some answers as to why she was taken from them so soon. The dangers of gastric diseases and infections should never be minimized.
“E.coli is extremely serious and can lead to long-term health problems and in worst cases like this, death. We will continue to support them as they try to come to terms with their loss.”
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