Nan killed by heart attack minutes after being told her granddaughter died

03 May 2024 , 07:28

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The grandmother died when told of the tragedy (Image: Jam Press)

A family suffered two tragedies in a matter of hours when a beloved nan had a heart attack after being told her granddaughter had died.

The family had sat down to eat a fish supper together in Spanțov, Romania, on Sunday evening, but were all later struck down by food poisoning. Gabriela, four, was found unresponsive in her bed at her grandparents' home on Monday morning.

She was rushed to hospital but doctors were unable to save her life. Her grandmother was taken to a different facility in Olteniţa where, when she was told her granddaughter’s fate, she had a heart attack.

She was given CPR for more than 90 minutes but was unable to be saved. Her husband was taken to hospital where his condition improved. Two of their other grandchildren also ate the meal and were struck down by vomiting but survived.

Gabriela had been struck down by food poisoning (Jam Press)

The family told doctors they had bought the fish frozen from a shop which had imported it from Spain. Samples were taken from the family’s home and from the shop for analysis. The owner was fined and ordered to close temporarily because he was not authorised to sell the product.

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Inspectors found the product was stored in an area that didn't meet hygiene standards. Investigators are also considering the possibility the family members were poisoned by a different food item or a household substance. The investigation continues.

Last month a mum who ate toxic Chinese mushrooms told her loved ones, "I'm not sure I can go on much longer," according to her distraught husband. The woman's death was agonising and prolonged after she ate the poisoned mushrooms from China at a sushi restaurant. In April 2023, Donna Ventura, 64, became gravely ill from food poisoning within an hour of eating a roll stuffed with salmon and morel mushrooms at a nearby eatery called Dave's Sushi.

The poisons from the mushrooms steadily killed her liver and kidneys. The mum from Montana spent the following two weeks in the intensive care unit at Bozeman Deaconess Regional Medical Center, barely surviving.

Her sickness had destroyed her throat so badly before her death on April 29 that she was unable to talk and could only write messages with a red marker. Her husband said her final remarks included: 'I'm not sure I can go on much longer, how are we going to cope, I can't handle the pain.”

Antony Clements-Thrower