Girl, 2, left fighting for life as 'dream holiday becomes worst nightmare'

VICTORIA FINNIGAN, 25, HAS INSTRUCTED LAWYERS TO INVESTIGATE THE CAUSE OF THE E.COLI INFECTION AFTER HER DAUGHTER FREYA FINNIGAN-HAYNES WAS LEFT NEEDING EMERGENCY SURGERY MILO BOYD Digital

Travel Reporter and SWNSED (ED CHATTERTON) 13:02, 02 Jun 2025 A mother has shared her harrowing tale of a dream holiday to Egypt that turned into "one of the worst experiences of her

life" when her two-year-old daughter contracted deadly E.coli.. Victoria Finnigan, 25, has asked lawyers to investigate whether she has a claim after her little girl, Freya

Finnigan-Haynes, required emergency surgery following their luxury trip to Hurghada. The toddler was diagnosed with a severe bacterial infection that resulted in both her kidneys failing

after she fell seriously ill during the £2,000 holiday last November. Victoria and her partner Thomas Sloan, 24, had taken Freya away for some winter sun, but all three fell ill with gastric

symptoms following their holiday in Egypt. Upon their return to the UK, Thomas recovered within a few weeks, however, Victoria and Freya were diagnosed with E.coli.. Freya's condition

worsened over the next two days, with her hands, feet and lips turning blue, leading to her being rushed to hospital by ambulance. Both of Freya's kidneys failed and she was moved to

another hospital for surgery to insert dialysis tubes. READ MORE: Livid parents call for adults-only holidays ban as 'no kids is discrimination' Article continues below She

underwent dialysis for three weeks and received four blood transfusions, remaining in hospital over the Christmas period. Freya now has to take folic acid daily and will need annual

check-ups until she turns 18. Victoria, a home carer, and Thomas, a car body repairer, have since hired lawyers to investigate their illnesses. "We'd been looking forward to our

holiday for a long time and couldn't wait to get out there and enjoy some winter sun," Victoria, from Twickenham, London, said. "Instead, it turned into one of the worst

experiences of our lives. It was awful when Thomas and I fell ill, but I hoped that Freya had escaped it. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. To see my darling girl so unwell was

incredibly traumatic, and to be told that she was suffering kidney failure devastated me. "All I wanted to do was make her better. Sadly, she'll have to have regular check-ups for

a long time. We know we can't change what happened but the least we deserve are some answers, especially for Freya." The family's dream trip turned sour when Victoria and

Thomas were struck down with sickness and diarrhoea shortly after their holiday began between November 29 to December 9 last year. Their daughter Freya started showing similar symptoms on

the flight back home a week later. While Victoria and Thomas got better within weeks of returning to the UK, Freya's condition led to hospitalisation due to kidney failure, and she

remained in care until New Year's Eve. GET TRAVEL UPDATES STRAIGHT TO YOUR WHATSAPP! In need of a holiday? The Mirror has launched its very own Travel WhatsApp community where

you'll get all the latest news and advice for everything from staycations to getaways in sunny Spain. We'll send you the latest breaking updates and exclusives all directly to your

phone. Users must download or already have WhatsApp on their phones to join in. All you have to do to join is CLICK ON THIS LINK, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! We may

also send you stories from other titles across the Reach group. We will also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t

like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you’re curious, you can read our PRIVACY

NOTICE. CLICK HERE TO JOIN Jatinder Paul, an international serious injury solicitor at Irwin Mitchell representing the family, commented on the ordeal: "The first-hand accounts

we've heard from Victoria and Thomas are deeply concerning. The impact of gastric illness should never be underestimated. That Freya went on to develop kidney failure and had to undergo

dialysis as a result, demonstrates the severity of what can happen. Article continues below "Understandably, Victoria and Thomas have a number of concerns over how their holiday was

ruined by illness. We're now investigating those concerns and are determined to provide the family with the answers they deserve."