Family’s devastation over grandmother’s rabies loss of life after vacation | UK | News | EUROtoday

The kin of a South Yorkshire grandmother who handed away after contracting rabies while on vacation say they’ve been compelled to endure “trauma, loss and devastation.”

A jury inquest carried out at Sheffield Medico-Legal centre was instructed that Barnsley grandmother Yvonne Ford contracted rabies following a scratch from a stray canine in Morocco in February 2025. The animal attacked after she startled it while rising from a sunbed.

She died at Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield on Wednesday, 11 June 2025.

On Wednesday, 4 March, the jury of 9 girls and three males, alongside assistant coroner Marilyn Whittle, heard how witnessing Yvonne deteriorate “in real time without explanation and growing fear” proved “profoundly traumatic” for her kin. In an announcement offered to the courtroom, daughter Robyn Thomson characterised Yvonne as an “exceptional” spouse, mom and grandmother.

She acknowledged: “Before February, Yvonnes was a loving, active and devoted family woman. She was a fantastic wife to her husband Ron, and they shared a close, supportive, loving relationship. (Yvonne was) a constant companion… (Yvonne) was a wonderful mother and always present, offering guidance and reassurance.”

“She was an exceptional grandmother to her four grandchildren – they were central to her life.”

In her ongoing testimony, Robyn detailed the development of her mom’s signs. After quite a few physician’s appointments for “insect bites”, Yvonne confided in her household that she felt as if she was “trapped in a cycle of panic (that she) was unable to resolve.”

Alongside complications and chest tightness, Yvonne was admitted to Barnsley Hospital on 2 June 2025, with what her household characterised as “severe agitation.”

Robyn’s account revealed that by 4 June, Yvonne was affected by hallucinations, informing her household about “flies in her room” and rising “out of her mouth.” Despite makes an attempt to hydrate her throughout her keep, she persistently refused.

By 6 June, she had began “spitting out saliva every 10 seconds” and hadn’t slept for practically per week.

On Tuesday (3 March), the inquest heard how Yvonne was referred to the psychological well being liaison unit at Barnsley Hospital on the identical day. Psychiatrist Dr Alex Burns assessed Yvonne and expressed his issues about an infectious illness inflicting her hallucinations, restlessness and nervousness.

Dr Burns acknowledged: “I had asked about travel, and I had asked about insect bites. It was very unclear what the diagnosis was. I wanted to think a bit more outside the box and consider rare conditions, including those related to travel.”

Yvonne’s husband knowledgeable Dr Burns that that they had visited Morocco in February. He defined to Dr Burns that Yvonne was bitten by a canine on a seashore after she inadvertently startled it while rising from a sunbed.

Yvonne was subsequently transferred to the care of infectious disease specialists at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals. However, Robyn stated that, from that moment onwards, the family “didn’t know” the extent of Yvonne’s cognitive awareness.

Speaking to the court through tears, Robyn said: “We acquired affirmation on June 11 that there was no potential restoration and the result can be deadly. We mentioned our goodbyes and held her hand throughout her ultimate breaths. Watching her deteriorate was profoundly traumatic.”

Concluding her statement, Robyn voiced the family’s concerns that “basic dignity measures weren’t offered by workers” at Barnsley Hospital or that Yvonne “acquired the extent of dignity and respect she deserved.”

The family also conveyed their desire that no other family should “endure the trauma, loss, and devastation” that they had experienced. Speaking on behalf of the family, Robyn told the court: “As a household, we’re decided to not be with out which means. By talking publicly, we hope to lift consciousness.”