Katie Widdowson died from a flesh-eating disease which took just three days to kill her.
The 23-year-old’s death was put to an inquest, as her exact cause of death was unclear.
The coroner blamed a bacterial infection, contributed to by the negligence of the doctors.
Media reports of the inquest said that the most likely cause of the infection was a cut on the wrist which had been caused by Katie being tied up during a sex game.
And now the family of mother-of-one Katie have spoken to UNILAD to tell us about Katie, and what really happened.
Sister-in-law Demi told us Katie had signs of sepsis that the doctor failed to notice, and she was dismissed from the hospital with a 40° temperature.
The family say that there are three possible reasons for a cause of the disease.
They dispute that the sex game was the most likely cause of the death.
Demi said:
There were three ways in which she could have contracted the infection. Number one was a small cut on her wrist.
Number two was a thorn in her thumb which she got through messing around with her little boy.
Number three was being tied up which there was no evidence of.
In the coroners report, it is mentioned that Katie fell into a bush and had a thorn in her hand, which could potentially have been the reason for her infection.
The family have begun legal proceedings against the doctors at Good Hope Hospital, as they feel that Katie was failed by the NHS and these doctors.
Demi said:
No matter how she got the cut in the first place all the signs were there they just did not manage to keep a young woman and mother alive.
It could have been avoided if they would have just done their jobs properly.
Katie was a care assistant and has been described by her family as ‘amazing’ and ‘beautiful inside and out’. Over 200 people attended her funeral.
According to Demi, Katie did everything she should and could have, and the doctors failed her miserably.
She said:
She has left a beautiful little boy behind who will never be able to go to his mom when he needs her. All because doctors could not do their job properly.
Katie was taken far too young. Doctors have admitted negligence so it’s about time people open their eyes and see that the only people to blame are those doctors.
Katie had been in a relationship with fiancee Dean for five and a half years and had a young child.
She had a bubbly personality and was known to do ‘silly’ little things.
Demi told us:
I remember getting a text message from Katie one day telling me that she had got her hair in a knot so she had to have it all cut so short.
She had beautiful hair so thats the kind of silly thing she would do.
They have come forward to try and raise awareness of the infection, Necrotising Fasciitis.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, the infection is not actually a flesh-eating disease, but it releases toxins that damage the tissue, and can cause organ failure.
