The parents of a girl who died after her body rejected an ‘unknown substance’ are hoping to warn other young people about the dangers of taking party drugs.
Yesterday, the family of Amy Vigus uploaded a heartbreaking tribute video to the Our Amy Facebook page, celebrating the life of a beloved daughter whose ‘moment of madness’ led to her to try what she thought to be ecstasy at Elrow Town Festival, London.
Throughout the video, a voice over speaks fondly about ‘cheeky, mischievous, adventurous and caring’ Amy, who paid the ultimate price for her mistake.
Amy’s body tragically rejected the harmful substance, leading to violent vomiting and fitting. When she was brought home, she collapsed and her devastated parents had to perform CPR on her. Two days later, Amy passed away at Colchester General Hospital in Essex.
The video narrator describes the Vigus family’s anguish as the young woman slipped into a deadly coma:
Our Amy fell into a coma.
She laid there, hair in, eyelashes on, glitter in her hair, but no smile on her face.
She laid there motionless still and seemingly peaceful.
The corridors of Colchester General Hospital echoed with the cries and screams of her family members.
You can watch the tear-jerking video, entitled Our Amy, the Story of Her Death below:
The moving footage has been shared over 30,000 times on Facebook and the grieving family hope it will encourage other young people to think carefully about the choices they make while out partying.
The video narrator makes the following plea:
The next time you are in that moment, please stop and think about our Amy and the consequences of her mistake on herself and her family she has left behind.
The Vigus family are now raising money for Colchester Hospitals Charity, in thanks for the ‘amazing’ care the hospital staff gave Amy during her final days. You can make a donation through their Just Giving Page
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.