The daughter of a British woman who succumbed to rabies after being scratched by a puppy during a vacation has shared a poignant message.
Yvonne Ford, 59, experienced a minor scratch from a puppy while she was on holiday in Morocco in February. Her daughter, Robyn Thompson, recounted that since the scratch “never got infected,” her mother didn’t think much of it.
However, months after returning home, Ford, who hailed from Barnsley, UK, began experiencing a severe headache and was subsequently hospitalized.
Just days later, she lost the ability to walk, talk, sleep, or swallow. She also began to hallucinate and developed hydrophobia. Robyn explained: “She was choking on her own saliva. So doctors put her in an induced coma.”
Yvonne was moved to Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, where she was diagnosed with rabies. She passed away on June 11.
Her daughter described her mother’s sudden and rapid deterioration as a massive shock, particularly since she had been scratched months earlier.
The 32-year-old, also from Barnsley, stated: “There was no blood and no evidence of the dog being unwell. It was such a mild scratch and it never got infected so we just thought nothing of it at the time.
“Mom came home and everything was normal. We went to Florida as a family and she went fishing with my dad. But in June she came down with this horrendous headache. She was in a lot of pain so went to hospital.
“It wasn’t until over a week later that she was diagnosed with rabies.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that the incubation period for rabies is typically two to three months, though it can range from one week to a year, depending on the virus’s location and quantity in the body.
Robyn continued: “There’s only one outcome for rabies once symptoms develop and it’s death every time. So we had to turn off her life support.”
Currently, the 32-year-old is committed to raising awareness about rabies to prevent other families from facing similar tragedies.
Later this year, the neonatal nurse will travel to Cambodia to volunteer with Mission Rabies, a charity that leads mass dog vaccination campaigns, rabies surveillance, and community education in Asia and Africa.
The charity aims to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the dog population to establish herd immunity.
Robyn has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for her travel, accommodation, and project expenses during her volunteering with the charity.
She expressed: “This is something I need to do. If I can save even one life through this work, or spare one family from going through the pain we have experienced, then it will be turning a terrible negative into something positive.
“I’m determined to transform my grief into action – helping vaccinate dogs, support surveillance efforts, and deliver life-saving lessons in schools.”
Remembering her mom as ‘the most loving person imaginable,’ she added: “She was my best friend and the most fantastic grandparent to mine and my brother’s children. She was a huge animal lover so for her to have died of rabies – it is just particularly horrendous.
“She will be missed so dearly.”
You can visit the GoFundMe here.