Mum, 42, dies in husband's arms while on dream family holiday
A 42-year-old mum has died suddenly during a dream holiday with her husband and young son.
Zoe Williams fell ill with an undiagnosed blood clot while visiting San Francisco with husband Jason, 45, and Hayden, their 11-year-old son, in late October.
The family, from Caerphilly, South Wales, had flown to the US for Hayden's half-term break, which began on October 28, and set about doing tourist activities in the city.
"We flew over to San Fransisco for a dream holiday. We arrived at our hotel at around tea time and she was fine,” Jason said.
"We were excited making plans for the following day to go and watch the San Fransisco 49ers American football team."
But the following day Zoe fell ill.
The 42 year old believed she was suffering from Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune condition she'd battled 20 years earlier.
But really she had developed a fatal blood clot, which had been getting progressively worse after she left the UK.
"We all left the hotel room and she walked 20 to 30 yards and collapsed,” Jason said.
"She said she just felt tired and told us to go on and she would just stay back at the hotel to sleep, but she seemed fine in herself."
Zoe went to the doctors and began treatment for Guillain-Barré syndrome - thinking she had suffered a relapse - but her condition deteriorated as the holiday went on.
"She had classic symptoms of the Guillain-Barré syndrome we thought she had, but we wanted to show our son around,” Jason said.
"Zoe said she didn't want us to take her to hospital in San Francisco because she trusted her doctors in Heath Hospital in Cardiff and promised she would go straight there when they got home."
The family was due to fly home on Saturday, November 2, and Zoe used a wheelchair while at San Francisco International Airport.
"We got on the plane. It was warm and our seats were right at the back. She started to lose consciousness and the airport medical centre advised us not to fly,” Jason said.
"They said we needed to get Zoe seen by a doctor again before they could be sure she was safe to fly home, but the doctors was closed until Monday."
The family were put up in the Grand Hyatt hotel and Zoe was given a wheelchair and a disabled room as they waited for her to return to health.
"She deteriorated that night. She said she was struggling to breathe and I called an ambulance, but she passed away in my arms before they arrived,” Jason said.
The heartbroken has paid tribute to his wife, describing her as a “very special wife and mother.”
“So generous and loving, she would do absolutely anything for Hayden,” he said.
"She had an infectious smile and she did everything for us and absolutely spoiled Hayden, everything he wanted was just an arms length away.
"This has left a massive hole in our life and she never could be replaced. What I'm struggling to comprehend is why this had to happen to her."
Jason thanked staff at the Grand Hyatt for putting him and Hayden up in a suite and helping them after Zoe's death.
He said: "If they weren't there to make our stay more comfortable, I don't know what I would have done."
Friends of Zoe have now launched an online fundraising page to help the family after her death and have already raised more than £14,000 ($24,900AUS).
- Australscope
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