Manchester Evening News

Family hope others can be saved after tragic loss of their Princess, 2

- By HELENA VESTY newsdesk@men-news.co.uk @MENnewsdes­k

THE MUM of a two-year-old girl who died after a family holiday have warned other parents about the dangers of E. coli.

Allie Birchall suddenly became ill and died after returning from a dream trip to Turkey, where it is believed she contracted the bacterial infection.

Allie had visited an all-inclusive, 10-day holiday with her family on July 23, 2019, an inquest at Manchester Coroner’s Court heard last month.

By July 27, she had become ill with stomach cramps, diarrhoea and vomiting. Just 11 days later, Allie had deteriorat­ed so much that doctors were unable to save her. ‘

“Allie was found to have a unique strain of Escherichi­a coli (E. coli) which must have originated in Turkey but it is not possible to say how Allie acquired it”, the coroner concluded.

Allie, from Atherton, near Wigan, was admitted to Royal Bolton Hospital and then transferre­d to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital for more supportive treatment, including dialysis, the inquest heard.

Allie was placed into an induced coma on August 1 and her family made the heart-wrenching decision to terminate her life support two days later, after an MRI scan revealed she had suffered brain damage, they told the inquest.

After almost three years of waiting for answers about what happened to their little girl, the family hopes others might be saved their suffering as they watched Allie be ‘snatched away in the cruellest

Allie had her whole life ahead of her before it was snatched away in the cruellest way Allie’s mum Katie

LITTLE GIRL DIED FROM COMPLICATI­ONS BROUGHT ON BY CONTRACTIN­G E.COLI ON DREAM FAMILY HOLIDAY

way possible.’ Allie’s mum Katie, 36, said: “Losing our little Allie so tragically and suddenly was heartbreak­ing for us all, and it’s still incredibly difficult to think we’ll never see her again. “When she was admitted to hospital, we were all praying she would pull through. To be told 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 snatched away in the cruellest way possible. Her death is something we’ll never get over. Jatinder Paul, the Senior Associate Solicitor at Irwin Mitchell representi­ng Allie’s loved ones, said: “The dangers of gastric illnesses and infections should never be downplayed. E.coli is extremely serious and can result in long-term health problems and in the worst cases, such as this, death.”

 ?? ?? The family had been on holiday to Turkey
The family had been on holiday to Turkey
 ?? ?? Katie Dawson and Allie Birchall
Katie Dawson and Allie Birchall

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