Bereaved daughter: “Cellulite cream & diet pills burned my mum alive”
When Linda Baranowski suddenly collapsed last year, her family were horrified to discover it was due to diet and beauty products she’d bought online. Now they’re making people aware of the dangers
❛Her skin started melting and she lost the tip of Her nose❜
Michaela Baranowski’s beautiful mum Linda was often mistaken for someone 10 years younger.
But as she approached 50, she bought diet pills and skintightening gel online to help hold back the ageing process.
When she collapsed at home in January 2016 and was raced to hospital, no one imagined it was Linda’s fight to look young that would lead to her death.
Two weeks ago, a coroner confirmed that the combination of the gel and pills had burned Linda’s body from the inside out, causing organ failure.
Michaela, 29, says: “Mum was full of energy and loved life – I miss her so much. When she was in hospital she looked like she’d been in a house fire, 80 per cent of her skin was blistered and had melted. It was absolutely horrific.”
Linda spent five weeks fighting for her life before she suffered renal failure and passed away surrounded by her heartbroken relatives.
The family, including Linda’s two sons Ian, 31, and Daniel, 25, and daughter Kirsty, 27, are devastated at the loss of their mum, but remain determined to warn others against buying slimming products online.
AGEING WORRIES
Michaela adds: “If her death prevents anyone else from making the same mistake, then at least my mum won’t have died in vain.”
Linda, who lived with husband Mark, 50, a lorry driver in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, was worried about getting older, and decided to buy teas, slimming pills and fat-burning cream from a website.
Michaela says: “Mum had always been health-conscious and ate really well. She went to the gym four times a week, drank green tea and took health-boosting cranberry supplements.
“But in October 2015, she told me she was worried about turning 50 and looking old. I said she looked great, but I could see it was bothering her.”
At the beginning of December, Linda bought £32 worth of products from a Facebook seller, including Himalayan green and white tea bags, Yili Balo hot chilli powder anti-cellulite cream and T5 fat burning pills.
She began to suffer stomach aches soon after.
Michaela says: “Mum still walked the dogs and went to the gym, so we weren’t worried.”
Linda celebrated her 50th birthday on 2 January with a Chinese takeaway at home with the family, but three weeks later she became very ill.
Michaela says: “Mum went to bed shivering and complaining of stomach ache. I called 111 and they thought it sounded like flu, but as I was on the phone she collapsed on the landing so they sent an ambulance.”
Linda was rushed into the emergency room of Princess Alexandra hospital in Harlow.
CRITICAL CONDITION
She says: “We heard Mum screaming, which was awful, but we thought the doctors would be able to help.”
The family weren’t allowed to see Linda in hospital until the following day.
Michaela adds: “Her body was swollen and she asked us: ‘Am I dying?’ My sister burst into tears and I was terrified.”
Shortly afterwards, Linda suffered kidney and lung failure and was put on life support. Just hours later her skin began to blister, turn black and dissolve.
Michaela says: “Her skin started melting and she lost the
tip of her nose and the ends of fingers and toes. We knew then it was something serious.”
Linda was transferred to St Thomas’ hospital in London, where a consultant realised that she’d taken something lethal. Michaela says: “The consultant asked us to find what she’d taken and we were devastated when we discovered that she’d bought the cream and pills by looking at her Facebook account.”
Doctors gave her medication to prevent any more burning, but the damage was already done.
Michaela says: “For five weeks she remained in a critical condition. Whenever she’d wake up, she was positive, so we believed she’d pull through, despite doctors warning us to expect the worst.”
Linda underwent three 10-hour-long operations to try to extract the burned tissue from inside her body to stop infection, but on 25 February her intestine ruptured and doctors were forced to switch off her life support.
SAYING GOODBYE
Michaela recalls: “The day before, I told her I loved her and would see her the following evening. But the next day a doctor called at 11am and told us we needed to come and say our goodbyes. When we arrived, she was in a coma – doctors said there was nothing they could do as her organs had shut down. It took two hours for her to pass away after her life support was turned off. It was the worst day of my life.”
Michaela adds: “It wasn’t until months later that it really hit me. I found out I was pregnant with my son Jacob in August and I was heartbroken to know she’d never meet him.”
The family only discovered the cause of Linda’s death at the inquest two weeks ago, when the coroner said she’d probably suffered an “inflammatory reaction to dietary supplements.” The pills and gel were tested, but there were no traces of any banned substances.
Michaela says: “The coroner said Mum had used so much of the cream and pills they’d burned her alive from the inside out.”
Trading Standards officers said they found no issues with other packs of the products seized from other customers, but the seller told police other customers had complained the cream was “too hot.” No charges were ever brought.
Michaela now wants to stop anyone else suffering a similar loss by calling for stricter controls on unlicensed slimming and beauty products.
She says: “We have closure now we know for sure it was the cream and pills, but that doesn’t bring her back – all we can do is make other people more aware.”