Woman who refused to eat for the first decade of her life choked on her own vomit, inquest hears
Tia-Mae McCarthy, 21, baffled doctors as a child with her refusal to eat, surviving on tube feeds until she was a teenager.
Her case drew national attention and was the subject of a 2006 TV documentary, The Girl Who Never Ate, which followed her mother Sue's search for answers.
The 21-year-old from Fordingbridge, Hampshire, was born 12 weeks premature and weighing just 2lb 3oz, spent much of her first year in hospital.
She was diagnosed with oesophageal atresia, a rare condition where the foodpipe does not connect to the stomach.
She underwent surgery at three months old to move her stomach into her chest.
Although the surgery meant she was physically capable of eating, she refused all food and had to be fed through a tube while she slept.
Her mother, Susan McCarthy, believed it was psychological, linked to repeated medical trauma in her early months when she stopped breathing and had to be resuscitated.
Then, at the age of ten, she suddenly accepted a spoonful of yoghurt – the start of a remarkable transformation that saw her ditch her feeding tube by the end of 2012.
By 15, she was eating a full diet, from mac and cheese to salmon and venison.
But she was found unresponsive in bed at her family home on April 28 this year.
An inquest in Bournemouth heard the oesophageal surgery she had as a baby left her at lifelong risk of aspiration, food or liquid entering the airway, which could 'happen at any time'.
The inquest heard she had a 'rattly' cough for about a week before her death.
In a statement read to the court, her mother said her daughter had developed a cough about a week before her death, which was not unusual for her.
She added: 'We were planning to go on holiday.
'On Sunday, I noticed her cough was a bit rattly. I was with Tia all day on Sunday - we went out for a coffee.
'She was really bright and cheery and enjoyed her time at the riding club.
'I messaged Jason (Tia's stepfather) and asked if Tia was OK, he told me she was still croaky.
'I messaged Tia to see if she was OK, and she replied to say yes, and this was the last time I had communication with her.'
Her step-father, Jason Allman, had propped her up with extra pillows the night before she died to help her cough and breathing.
The mother said she went upstairs the following day and discovered her daughter unresponsive in bed with the covers off, and realised she had died.
Her step-father, Jason Allman, had propped her up with extra pillows the night before she died to help her cough and breathing.
A post-mortem found vomit in the main and peripheral airways, with stomach fluid and remnants of the mac and cheese she had for dinner the night before.
While Tia did have other disabilities, there was no medical reason after the surgery why she could not eat food and her case baffled the experts.
Tia was featured in the documentary in which her mother took her to a specialist clinic in Austria.
The controversial research programme even included periods of controlled starvation.
Tia had other learning difficulties, which meant she could not live independently, and she still lived at home with her mother.
She enjoyed riding and attended an adult day centre.
In a police statement read to the court, officers said there were no suspicious circumstances and praised the care Ms McCarthy received from her family, saying: 'We attend a lot of vulnerable people - Tia was incredibly well supported and cared for by her mother and stepfather.'
Recording his conclusion, Mr Allen said: 'I am satisfied on the basis of the circumstances that the cause of death is gastro-oesophageal aspiration.
'Tia-Mae McCarthy had a past medical condition which left her at increased risk of aspiration. She died as a consequence of a recognised risk factor of a previous surgical procedure.'
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