A WOMAN claims she was left fighting for her life after an all-inclusive holiday as staff “didn’t wash their hands”.
Olivia Hartley says she nearly died after coming home from a £1,400 EasyJet holiday to Hurghada in Egypt last September.
The 28-year-old, who lives in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, was holidaying with her fiance Thomas Winn, 31, at a four-star resort for a week when the pair began to feel unwell.
On the plane home, Olivia claims her partner Thomas vomited “six times” while she began experiencing sickness and diarrhoea 48 hours after returning home.
Unable to keep any food or water down for three days, Olivia was hospitalised with dehydration and told by doctors that her liver and kidney function was abnormal.
Doctors told Olivia that it was “very likely” she was infected with Hepatitis A – a liver infection that is spread in the poo of an infected person.
Olivia is certain she caught the deadly virus from the hotel – which she chose not to name – claiming food hygiene at the resort was “terrible”.
Medics were so concerned that they warned Olivia that she may have to undergo a liver transplant if her condition does not improve.
Luckily, Olivia made a recovery – but is still suffering the effects of the liver and kidney injury with concerns she may still need a transplant in the future.
EasyJet apologised for the customer’s experience and said they were proactively reaching out to the customer to try to resolve the issue.
Olivia, an assistant psychologist, said: “The food hygiene at the hotel was terrible.
“There were birds everywhere, food lay stagnant for a long, long time, they just poured new food on top of old food that had been out for hours.
“On the last day, me and my fiance both had a bit of a funny tummy. On the plane home, my partner vomited about six times.
“I was fine at this point then [48 hours after coming home] I started with vomiting and diarrhea.
“Then I got to the point where I couldn’t keep down any liquids whatsoever.
“I was just vomiting everything up. I had horrific abdominal pains.”
After three days of continuous vomiting, Olivia went to A&E at Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby where tests revealed her liver function was “deranged” and required urgent treatment.
I felt very vulnerable. I was scared I would die.
Olivia Hartley
Olivia said: “The doctors told me my liver was in a very bad way and I have kidney damage from the dehydration.
“They were very worried about the liver results and concerned due to the high hepatitis rates in Egypt.
“With all that, they said it’s very likely you have hepatitis. They were 99.9 per cent sure I’d got it from the hotel.
“They were very sure it was hepatitis and told me if my liver doesn’t start to improve, you will need an emergency liver transplant in Leeds, which was terrifying.
“In my head, I was thinking the worst. It was a very scary time. No one could fully agree on a treatment plan. I felt very vulnerable.
What causes Hepatitis?
HEPATITIS causes inflammation of the liver after a viral infection.
It can become very serious, so it’s good to familiarise yourself with the signs and symptoms.
What is Hepatitis?
Hepatitis is an umbrella term describing inflammation of the liver.
It can be the result of heavy drinking or a viral infection.
There are several different types of the disease which are caused by different viruses and are treated in different ways.
What are the symptoms of hepatitis?
For short-term hepatitis there are often no symptoms so it can be hard to know that you are suffering from the condition.
But – according to the NHS – if symptoms do develop they may include:
muscle pain
fever
tiredness
feeling sick
loss of appetite
itchy skin
dark urine or pale
grey coloured poo.
Long-term hepatitis can also develop without any symptoms, until the liver fails completely, so it is sometimes only caught in blood tests.
“I was scared I would die. I asked if I could go home and they said no, if you go into organ failure, you won’t make it to Leeds, it was very serious.”
After three days in hospital, Olivia was discharged but claims the liver and kidney damage has left her with joint pain and fatigue – with concerns she may still need a transplant in the future.
Olivia said: “This was going to be the holiday we really needed and it turned into an absolute nightmare.
“It put me off package holidays. This was our first break since Covid – we really needed this break.
“This turned into a holiday from hell for us. I’ve been referred to a liver specialist and it’ll be regular liver tests to check how it is.
“I’ve heard from other people that once you have a liver injury, it can deteriorate out of nowhere again.
“So I could eventually still need a liver transplant if things start to go downhill again.”
We’re really sorry to hear about this customer’s experience.
EasyJet
Olivia said she complained to EasyJet in October about her hospitalisation but claims she never heard back from the package holiday company.
Olivia said: “It’s the first time using this company and it’s completely destroyed any trust I had with them.
“There was no protection or humanity offered at all. I felt really angry and like I didn’t matter.
“I nearly didn’t live to tell the tale.”
An EasyJet holidays spokesperson said: “We’re really sorry to hear about this customer’s experience, and we’re proactively reaching out to resolve their complaints, now that they’ve been brought to our attention.
“It’s our priority to support our customers throughout their experience, from the booking process to returning home, and we want nothing more than to deliver brilliant holidays.”
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
