Mom’s ‘princess’ daughter dies of E.coli poisoning after family vacation in Turkey

The mother of two-year-old girl Allie Birchall, who died after a family holiday, has warned other parents about the dangers of E. coli following the inquest into her death

A two-year-old girl died after contracting E. coli while on a dream vacation in Turkey, leaving her family putting her life back together.

“Princess” Allie Birchall suddenly fell ill after returning from her summer trip.

It is believed that she contracted the bacterial infection during the break Manchester evening news reports.

The child and her family, from Atherton, near Wigan, had attended an all-inclusive with her family on July 23, 2019, an inquiry at the Coroner’s Court in Manchester heard last month.

On July 27, she developed stomach cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting.

Just 11 days later, Allie had deteriorated so much that doctors could not save her.

“Allie has been determined to have a unique strain of Escherichia coli (E. coli) that must have originated in Turkey, but it is not possible to say how Allie acquired it,” the coroner concluded.

The child was admitted to the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Doctors were concerned that Allie was suffering from hemolytic uremic syndrome caused by Shiga[-Toxin] Producing Escherichia coli, the coroner found.

Hemolytic-uremic syndrome is a potentially fatal blood disorder associated with Shiga toxin E. coli that can lead to kidney failure and brain damage.

When both of her illnesses were diagnosed and worsened, medics decided Allie needed to be transferred to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital for more supportive care, including dialysis, the inquest said.

Allie was placed in an induced coma on August 1 and her family made the heartbreaking decision to end her life support two days later after an MRI scan revealed she had suffered brain damage, the inquest said.

After waiting almost three years for answers about what happened to their little girl, the family hopes others could be spared their suffering as they watched Allie “snatched away in the most horrible way”.

Allie’s mum Katie, 36, said: “Losing our little Allie so tragically and suddenly has been heartbreaking for all of us and it’s still incredibly hard to believe we will never see her again.

“When she was admitted to the hospital we all prayed that she would pull through. To learn that she had suffered brain damage was absolutely devastating.

“The whole experience was downright traumatic and we lost a large part of our lives. Allie had her whole life ahead of her before it was taken from her in the most cruel way. Her death is something we will never get over.

“Unfortunately, nothing can turn back the clock and bring our princess back to us, but we’re grateful the investigation is over and we at least have some answers. Now we can only hope that others don’t have to suffer like our family did.”

The coroner determined that the medical cause of Allie’s death was encephalopathy (swelling of the brain) and other complications related to hemolytic-uremic syndrome caused by a Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (E. coli) infection.

Jatinder Paul, Senior Associate Solicitor at Irwin Mitchell, who is representing Allie’s loved ones, said: “Allie’s death continues to have a profound impact on her family, including her mother Katie, who is understandably still struggling to come to terms with what they have everything already done.

“While we can’t change what happened, at least Allie’s family now has some answers as to why she was taken from them at such an early age. The dangers of stomach diseases and infections should never be downplayed.

“E.coli is extremely serious and can lead to long-term health problems and in the worst cases like this, death. We will continue to support them in coming to terms with their loss.”