Heartbroken mum of Brit lawyer poisoned in Laos had ‘mom’s instinct’ in cellphone name
The mother of a British woman killed in the mass Laos ‘vodka’ poisonings has revealed her heartbreaking journey to the other side of the world to see her.
Sue White said: “I knew when I had that phone call, I don’t know what it was, call it a mother’s intuition, but I knew that she was going to die,” she confessed.
Simone White, 28, a solicitor from south east London, passed away just over a week ago due to methanol poisoning. She had been staying at the Nana Backpackers Hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos, with two childhood friends who survived but are reportedly traumatised.
Sue spoke publicly to The Times for the first time since her daughter’s death to warn others: “Please be careful when it comes to drinks. Simone was a universityeducated, highly intelligent person. If it can happen to her, it can happen to anybody.”
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According to previous reports, Simone and her friends consumed six vodka shots provided by the hostel, which they mixed with Sprite purchased from a local supermarket.
Nine days later, in a private hospital in Laos, Sue made the decision to turn off her daughter’s ventilator. Sue, a 61 year old travel agent from Orpington, embarked on the journey to Laos via Bangkok from Heathrow.
“It was horrendous. Absolutely horrendous,” she said “She had such beautiful long blonde hair, which had all been shaved off for the operation. It was the worst experience of my life. There are no words, really.”
Last week, Laos police detained eight hostel employees for questioning. The hostel in question has shut down, and its owners have refuted allegations of serving dangerous alcohol.
Simone embarked on her southeast Asian adventure on November 8, joining a friend from Australia. After spending three days in Cambodia, they arrived in Laos on November 11 and checked into Nana Backpackers Hostel. It was her friends which told Sue what happened there.
“They each downed six shots and they all felt fine, not particularly tipsy. They didn’t notice anything unusual about the taste or smell of the drinks.
(Image: Facebook)
Sue says their health took a turn on Wednesday, and realised something was wrong as they tried to catch a public bus to the next town and started to feel poorly.
Methanol is a lethal chemical often found in home-brewed or fake alcohol. When ingested, the body transforms it into toxic formic acid, which can lead to organ failure, blindness, brain damage and death.
The following morning, Sue received a message from one of Simone’s friends which read: “I don’t want to worry you but we’re all in hospital and they think it is acidosis. Simone is the worst affected out of all of us but she’s not doing too badly. Keep you updated.”
But on Friday morning, Sue received a phone call from Simone’s friend who said, “You should come out here.”
Her brain function was gone and there was no chance of her waking up. She passed away on Thursday, November 21.
“The doctor said people’s metabolisms break down methanol differently, and unfortunately it has just gone straight to Simone’s brain. The other two were unwell but not half as bad.”
She said she has received “hundreds and hundreds of messages from her friends and colleagues. We had no idea how popular she was. Now she’s gone.”
“I went through the whole flight thinking she was having brain surgery. It was a terrible, terrible journey.”
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