The mother of a British lawyer who tragically passed away in Laos after consuming methanol-contaminated shots has shared the last gut-wrenching text message she received from her daughter. Simone White, 28, originally from London, was socialising with friends at the Nana Backpackers Hostel when she began feeling ill.
The group had been drinking complimentary vodka shots before Simone was hurried to the hospital.
While her friends survived, the Newcastle University alumna sadly lost her life on November 21 at Vientiane’s Kasemrad International Hospital. Her devastated mother Sue travelled for 16 hours from Kent to Laos upon hearing her daughter required urgent brain surgery and was subsequently put on life support for three days.
Upon arrival at the hospital, Sue was confronted with the harrowing choice of whether to continue life support, as doctors left the decision in her hands. She endured the distressing task of removing a tube from her daughter’s mouth before making the “traumatic” call to switch off the machine.
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An inquest held last month concluded that Simone died due to a brain haemorrhage, reports the Mirror.
Now, three months after the life-altering incident, Sue has revealed the final text message sent by her daughter just one day before the fatal incident with the methanol-spiked shots.
In an interview on Australia’s 60 Minutes, Sue revealed the last message she received from her daughter Simone: “I’m having the best time, you know, it’s an absolutely fantastic holiday.”
This message was sent on a Tuesday evening, Laos time, shortly before the tragic incident. Simone’s friend Bethany Clarke, from Orpington, was also hospitalised after consuming free whisky and vodka shots laced with methanol.
Recalling the horrifying experience, Bethany said: “We went up to the bar and I watched him pour them out from a glass bottle with a vodka label on it. You just physically can’t move. It’s like you are more or less paralysed. You can still walk, but everything is much, much, much more difficult than it would be ordinarily, but yeah, mainly fatigue, nausea, I fainted.”
Tragically, Simone lost her life in the incident, along with Australians Holly Morton-Bowles and Bianca Jones, both 19, Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Freja Sorensen, 21, from Denmark, and American James Hutson, 57. Following the harrowing ordeal, Bethany issued a warning last year to others to “avoid” any free shots offered, stating: “Our group stayed in Vang Vieng and we drank free shots offered by one of the bars. Just avoid them as so not worth it. Six of us who drank from the same place are in hospital currently with methanol poisoning.”
The UK Foreign Office’s website cautions travellers to exercise caution when visiting the region, citing reports of drink and food spiking. It advises: “Be cautious about accepting drinks from strangers at bars, clubs, restaurants and parties.”
Regarding methanol poisoning, the warning states: “There have been deaths and cases of serious illness caused by alcoholic drinks containing methanol. Methanol has been used in the manufacture of counterfeit replicas of well-known alcohol brands or illegal local spirits, like vodka.
“You should take care if offered, particularly for free, or when buying spirit-based drinks. If labels, smell or taste seem wrong then do not drink. Affected drinks may include local spirits, including local rice or palm liquor, spirit-based mixed drinks, such as cocktails, counterfeit brand-name bottled alcohol in shops or behind the bar.
“Laos authorities have issued an order prohibiting the sale and consumption of Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whisky due to concerns about them being a risk to health. You should avoid consuming these products.”
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