Honeymoon food poisoning has left me unable to walk
Bride suffers crippling arthritis after she and hubby are hit by tummy bug
Cristina recovers in hospital from food poisoning May last year and checked in to the allinclusive five-star Baron Palace Sahl Hasheesh, in Hurghada, in July after booking through Thomas Cook.
Within days, they say, both fell ill. Cristina, of Maidstone, Kent, said: “It was awful, we were both struggling for the rest of the holiday.
“While Liviu slowly started to feel better, I still had incredibly painful stomach cramps. He had no option but to take me to A&E when we got back.” Doctors at Maidstone Hospital diagnosed infectious gastroenteritis. Tests later confirmed the cause was shigella, often passed on through poor food hygiene. But as she began to recover, Cristina developed horrific joint pains.
She was diagnosed with reactive arthritis, a known complication, and was readmitted to hospital for nine days as her mobility deteriorated.
DISBELIEF
Cristina said: “I was in absolute agony and could barely walk. When the doctors said my illness had caused arthritis I was in a state of disbelief.
“I wasn’t able to climb the stairs, so Liviu brought my mattress down for me. I couldn’t stand, or walk anywhere
– I felt like such a burden on him.
“We had to buy my mother a plane ticket from Romania to come to England to look after me.”
Cristina, who works in quality control, has since been unable to return to work.
She and Liviu, 32, who say they ate only at the hotel, have instructed law firm Irwin Mitchell’s to take up the case.
Jatinder Paul, acting for the couple, said: “We’re very concerned. This is a truly shocking and upsetting incident.
“What was meant to be a holiday of a lifetime became a nightmare. We are determined to help them gain answers.”
Thomas Cook, which operates the hotel along with other tour firms, said: “We’ve not received this claim yet but we’ll look into it with the hotel to make sure they are maintaining the high standards our customers expect.”
In a separate case last year John Cooper, 69, and his wife Susan, 63, died while staying at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel in Hurghada. John, of Burnley, Lancs, was found dead in his room. Susan died in hospital six hours later. Thomas Cook, which operated the hotel, evacuated guests after tests showed high levels of E. coli and the staphylococcus bacteria. dan.warburton@
mirror.co.uk