A British graduate was left seriously ill and hospitalised with a parasitic infection after taking a dip in a picturesque Fijian waterfall during a once-in-a-lifetime volunteering trip.
Isabelle Lythgow, 23, had travelled to the remote village of Nairukuruku in Fiji as part of a six-week placement – but her tropical adventure soon turned into a nightmare when she fell violently ill just hours after swimming with locals.
The Salford University graduate, who now works as a mental health nurse, said she began experiencing dizziness, lower back pain and tingling limbs after attending a village bonfire that evening.
Isabelle – who suffers from a severe phobia of vomiting – was then sick every 30 minutes throughout the night, with the symptoms lasting for over 12 hours.
When she finally made it to hospital by taxi, medics immediately hooked her up to an IV drip and told her she should have come in much earlier.
