- Gemma Birch stroked the stray on an all-inclusive to Albufeira in July 2014
- Started vomiting uncontrollably and became faint on the flight home
- Stool tests found infection with bacteria campylobacter – often in raw chicken
- Picked up infection from the cat after the animal rummaged through the bins
- Later became paralysed from the hips down and unable to walk for a year
A social media blogger was left paralysed by a nerve-crippling illness that doctors fear she caught from a cat.
Gemma Birch, 24, of Southport, grew fond of a stray animal she named Catarina while on an all-inclusive holiday to Portugal in July 2014.
However, on the final day of her week-long getaway to Albufeira, Miss Birch started vomiting uncontrollably and became faint on the flight home.
Miss Birch was rushed to Southport Hospital as soon as she landed. Tests of her stools revealed she was carrying the bacteria campylobacter – commonly found in raw chicken.
After spending a week in hospital recovering from severe food poisoning, Miss Birch – who is a pescatarian – admitted to stroking the stray cat, which likely picked up the bacteria while rummaging through her hotel’s bins.
Thinking the ordeal was over, Miss Birch woke in the night days after returning home, unable to feel her legs. After being rushed back to hospital by her father, she was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Left paralysed from the hips down, Miss Birch spent months in rehab while she relearned how to walk and was only back to her old self 14 months on from the incident.
Gemma Birch, 24, was paralysed by a nerve-crippling illness doctors fear she caught from a stray cat while on holiday (right, before she became unwell) in Portugal in July 2014. The condition left her partially paralysed and unable to walk for a year. After months of rehab, she was only herself again 14 months later. She is pictured left in a wheelchair with her twin Jessica.
In July 2014 I went on holiday to Portugal and I fell in love with this stray cat who we named Catarina,’ Miss Birch said.
‘We let her into our apartment as she followed us everywhere. I stroked her and fed her milk.’
But by the final day of the holiday Miss Birch was unable to keep anything down and landed back in the UK so bloated she claims it looked like she was nine months pregnant.
As soon as she got through passport control, Miss Birch rushed herself to hospital, where doctors claimed she had likely caught food poisoning from undercooked chicken.
Report courtesy of the Mail Online.
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