The daughter of a British woman who died of rabies after she was scratched by a puppy on holiday has spoken of her mother’s ‘horrendous’ death.
Yvonne Ford, 59, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, was scratched on the leg by a small stray puppy lying under her sunbed while on holiday in Morocco with her husband in February – but thought nothing of it at the time.
Many months later, the grandmother-of-four started suffering from a ‘horrendous’ headache and was admitted to Barnsley Hospital.
Within days, she could not walk, talk, sleep or swallow. She started hallucinating, and developed a fear of water.
Yvonne was transferred to Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield where she was eventually diagnosed with the rare but devastating virus. She died on June 11.
Her daughter Robyn Thomson, 32, has spoken of how the deathly disease that stole her mother.
Neonatal nurse Robyn said: ‘[Mum] was the most loving person imaginable. She had the biggest heart.
‘She was my best friend and the most fantastic grandparent to mine and my brother’s children.
Yvonne Ford, 59, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, was scratched on the leg by a small stray puppy lying under her sunbed while on holiday in Morocco with her husband in February – but thought nothing of it at the time
Her daughter Robyn Thomson, 32, (left) has spoken of how the deathly disease that stole her mother
Yvonne Ford on holiday with husband Ron (right), daughter Robyn, Robyn’s husband Andrew (left) and their children
‘She was a huge animal lover so for her to have died of rabies – it is just particularly horrendous.
‘She will be missed so dearly.’
Robyn said her mother’s death was a huge shock to the whole family – especially as it took so long for her to develop symptoms. She was scratched in February – and died four months later.
She said: ‘She and dad were on a holiday in Morocco and they were on a private beach next to the hotel.
‘There was a puppy underneath mum’s sunbed and it scratched her leg.
‘There was no blood and no evidence of the dog being unwell. It was such a mild scratch and it never got infected so we just thought nothing of it at the time.
‘Mum came home and everything was normal. We went to Florida as a family and she went fishing with my dad.
‘But in June she came down with this horrendous headache. She was in a lot of pain so went to hospital.
The grandmother-of-four started suffering from a ‘horrendous’ headache and was admitted to Barnsley Hospital
Within days, she could not walk, talk, sleep or swallow. She started hallucinating, and developed a fear of water
Robyn said her mother’s death was a huge shock to the whole family – especially as it took so long for her to develop symptoms
The family later found out that it normally takes a few months for rabies symptoms to show – but the deadly disease can incubate for up to two years
‘Soon, she couldn’t sleep, she couldn’t walk, she couldn’t talk. She was hallucinating and had a fear of water.
‘She couldn’t swallow. She was choking on her own saliva. So doctors put her in an induced coma.
‘It wasn’t until over a week later that she was diagnosed with rabies.
‘There’s only one outcome for rabies once symptoms develop and it’s death every time. So we had to turn off her life support.’
The family later found out that it normally takes a few months for rabies symptoms to show – but the deadly disease can incubate for up to two years.
Now, Robyn wants to spread awareness for rabies – and help stop it at the source via a charity mission in Cambodia.
The mother-of-two has launched a GoFundMe and is appealing for help from the public.
She said: ‘This is something I need to do. If I can save even one life through this work, or spare one family from going through the pain we have experienced, then it will be turning a terrible negative into something positive.
‘I’m determined to transform my grief into action – helping vaccinate dogs, support surveillance efforts, and deliver life-saving lessons in schools.’
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