Lisa Macklin-Palmer, 43, felt unwell within 24 hours of arriving on Tenerife, but felt well enough to have a meal out a day later with her husband Antony and sons Blayze, 9, (far right) and Dexter, 7 (seen in undated photo)
A ‘devoted and brilliant’ mother-of-two died from sepsis on a family holiday to Tenerife just days after complaining of a sore throat.
Lisa Macklin-Palmer, 43, began feeling unwell within 24 hours of arriving on the holiday island, but felt healthy enough to have a meal out a day later with her husband Antony, sons Blayze, 9, and Dexter, 7, and her mother, Joy.
But her condition – which at first she put down to a cold – deteriorated dramatically overnight and she was taken to hospital the following morning.
By the evening Mrs Macklin-Palmer, who never smoked and rarely drank alcohol fell unconscious and died naturally.
Doctors believe Mrs Macklin-Palmer’s cause of death was sepsis, a form of blood poisoning where the body reacts to an infection by attacking its own organs and tissues.
Her funeral will take place this Friday and an inquest into her death is due to be opened.
Mrs Macklin-Palmer ran a cafe in New Milton in Hampshire’s New Forest with her husband of 22 years.
Macklin-Palmer, who was described as a ‘brilliant and devoted’ mother with her sons Blayze (right) and Dexter
Mr Macklin-Palmer, also 43, today spoke of his devastation at the loss of his wife. He said: ‘She was a devoted wife and a brilliant mother.
‘She always had a big smile on her face and was happy to help anyone. She was very popular, just fun loving and hard working.
‘It was crazy how quickly it happened. When we flew out to Tenerife I was the one with a cold and sore throat and she was absolutely fine.
‘The morning after we arrived, she had a bit of a sore throat and we went to the chemist to get some tablets.
‘The next day she was a bit under the weather but we still went out for dinner as a family and went to a show.
‘But the next morning she was blue. We called a doctor and he said to go straight to the hospital.’
Mr Macklin-Palmer went to the hospital with his wife while his mother-in-law stayed with the children at their hotel in the resort of Puerto de Santiago on the west side of Tenerife.
They had expected Mrs Macklin-Palmer to return from hospital and join them at the pool.
Mr Macklin-Palmer (who is pictured with his late wife in an undated image) said: ‘We’ve been told she had sepsis. It is a horrible silent killer. She was in good health, never smoked, hardly drank, it is just so cruel’
Mr Macklin-Palmer said: ‘We’ve been told she had sepsis. It is a horrible silent killer. She was in good health, never smoked, hardly drank, it is just so cruel.
‘We tried for many years to have children and had IVF and now our boys don’t have their mother.’
Mrs Macklin-Palmer’s case is the latest in a worrying series of deaths involving sepsis.
Sepsis can be easily treated if caught early enough but there is no one sign for it so it can initially look like flu, gastroenteritis or a chest infection.
Symptoms are slurred speech, extreme shivering, muscle pain, severe breathlessness or discoloured skin.
It is estimated that a staggering 44,000 people a year die from sepsis.
Last week, a devastated mum warned parents to be on the lookout for signs of sepsis after it killed her 12-year-old son.
Sarah Day spoke out about how Dylan, from Stoke-on-Trent, died of sepsis just three days after he was diagnosed with flu.
He was taken to a GP after he had been feeling unwell with a headache and sore throat.
But within hours he was rushed to hospital by ambulance after his breathing became erratic.
Mrs Macklin-Palmer died on January 12 but her case has only now emerged.