Girl, 2, left fighting for life as 'dream holiday becomes worst nightmare'
Victoria Finnigan, 25, has instructed lawyers to investigate the cause of the E.coli infection after her daughter Freya Finnigan-Haynes was left needing emergency surgery
A mother has shared her harrowing tale of a dream holiday to Egypt that turned into "one of the worst experiences of her life" when her two-year-old daughter contracted deadly E.coli..
Victoria Finnigan, 25, has asked lawyers to investigate whether she has a claim after her little girl, Freya Finnigan-Haynes, required emergency surgery following their luxury trip to Hurghada. The toddler was diagnosed with a severe bacterial infection that resulted in both her kidneys failing after she fell seriously ill during the £2,000 holiday last November.
Victoria and her partner Thomas Sloan, 24, had taken Freya away for some winter sun, but all three fell ill with gastric symptoms following their holiday in Egypt.
Upon their return to the UK, Thomas recovered within a few weeks, however, Victoria and Freya were diagnosed with E.coli..
Freya's condition worsened over the next two days, with her hands, feet and lips turning blue, leading to her being rushed to hospital by ambulance. Both of Freya's kidneys failed and she was moved to another hospital for surgery to insert dialysis tubes.
She underwent dialysis for three weeks and received four blood transfusions, remaining in hospital over the Christmas period. Freya now has to take folic acid daily and will need annual check-ups until she turns 18.
Victoria, a home carer, and Thomas, a car body repairer, have since hired lawyers to investigate their illnesses. "We'd been looking forward to our holiday for a long time and couldn't wait to get out there and enjoy some winter sun," Victoria, from Twickenham, London, said.
"Instead, it turned into one of the worst experiences of our lives. It was awful when Thomas and I fell ill, but I hoped that Freya had escaped it. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. To see my darling girl so unwell was incredibly traumatic, and to be told that she was suffering kidney failure devastated me.
"All I wanted to do was make her better. Sadly, she'll have to have regular check-ups for a long time. We know we can't change what happened but the least we deserve are some answers, especially for Freya."
The family's dream trip turned sour when Victoria and Thomas were struck down with sickness and diarrhoea shortly after their holiday began between November 29 to December 9 last year. Their daughter Freya started showing similar symptoms on the flight back home a week later.
While Victoria and Thomas got better within weeks of returning to the UK, Freya's condition led to hospitalisation due to kidney failure, and she remained in care until New Year's Eve.
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Jatinder Paul, an international serious injury solicitor at Irwin Mitchell representing the family, commented on the ordeal: "The first-hand accounts we've heard from Victoria and Thomas are deeply concerning. The impact of gastric illness should never be underestimated. That Freya went on to develop kidney failure and had to undergo dialysis as a result, demonstrates the severity of what can happen.
"Understandably, Victoria and Thomas have a number of concerns over how their holiday was ruined by illness. We're now investigating those concerns and are determined to provide the family with the answers they deserve."
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