An angry mother is suing Thomas Cook after a £4,000 holiday allegedly left her daughter with Lyme Disease.
Gemma Moran claims her eight-year-old daughter Clio caught the life-long debilitating disease after she was bitten by ticks in their ‘disgusting’ holiday apartment in Majorca.
The 31-year-old mother said her daughter contracted the rare illness from a tick bite on the first night of their two week holiday.
Upon arriving at their apartment for their break in August, Ms Moran claims their ‘filthy’ apartment had dirty sheets and was infested with ants and creepy crawlies.
She was also furious with the reaction of travel company after she had sent them evidence of the poor condition from their accommodation at the Playa Ferrera Apartments.
Gemma Moran, 31, and her eight-year-old daughter Clio, who has contracted Lyme Disease
Both Spanish and British doctors confirmed Clio had Lyme Disease from the ‘bullseye’ tick bite marks.
Ms Moran, from Hambleton, North Yorkshire, said: ‘This holiday was suppose to be a respite break for the family – but it turned out to be a holiday from hell.
‘Clio was really poorly while we were there – she had a high temperature, felt really sick, had flu-like symptoms and she wasn’t sleeping either.
‘She was treated in Spain for tick bites and an ear infection – which the doctor said was from the hotel pool.
‘We didn’t know if we could fly home because of how poorly Clio was.’
Ms Moran arrived in Majorca with her family on August 22, the same day Clio was bitten, and took her to the doctors after releasing the marks were not from a mosquito on August 30.
The family had taken out holiday insurance, but they still ended up having to spend £200 on three doctors appointments and £20 on antibiotics.
Her daughter, who was seven at the time of the incident, now does not want to go abroad or travel again. She was confirmed as having Lyme Disease upon returning to England and is still taking antibiotics to treat the ailment.
Ms Moran, who is a carer for her eldest son Jordan, 12, who has ODD and ADHD, said: ‘The holiday was suppose to be a bit of respite and is the most I’ve ever paid for the holiday.
‘It was absolutely horrendous – after four days we even tried coming home but the flights were £600 each.’
Ms Moran added: ‘The bed sheets were filthy – there were ants dropping out of the canopy above us.
‘We quickly realised there were ticks in the bed and we reported that back to the hotel, but they didn’t do anything, they didn’t come and look or anything.’
Ms Moran had booked the holiday at the Selby branch of Thomas Cook but blasted the company as they received a goodwill gesture of £500 cash back on their £3,800 holiday.
Clio was allegedly bitten on the first night of the family’s two-week stay at the Playa Ferrera Apartments in Majorca
She said: ‘I complained to the Thomas Cook Selby branch as soon as we got home, and they agreed that it was absolutely disgusting, for the amount of money that we paid.
‘Following that I rung the head office and I’ve been backwards and forwards, and have been told I have no evidence.
‘It doesn’t matter if I’ve been to a doctor in Spain, doesn’t matter that I’ve got a doctor’s letter from over here, doesn’t matter that I’ve got photographs of the bed, or the state of the rooms.’
It remains unclear as to how the disease may impact Clio’s life. If left untreated, it can cause facial paralysis, heart palpitations and can cause a series of health problems in later life.
However doctors said that as the disease was caught earlier, she stands a better chance of leading a normal life.
A spokesperson for Thomas Cook said: ‘We are always concerned to hear reports of illness, especially when they involve a child.
‘While it’s not clear that it came from the hotel and we haven’t had any similar cases reported as you would expect with an illness of this sort, we have offered Ms Moran a goodwill gesture which she has accepted.’