A young Derry woman whose organs helped to save the lives of 50 people, died because she may not have had enough oxygen going to her brain.
Lisa
Tragic Lisa Orsi collapsed while on holiday in Indonesia and later died in hospital.
An inquest into the death of the 22 year old woman’s death in Singapore.
Lisa’s finals hours were recalled at the inquest.
It reveals how the physiotherapist had been visiting a volcanic crater a Mount Bromo.
She returned to her hostel which was 6,000 feet above sea level and complained to her friends of having an earache and feeling unwell.
Her room-mate revealed that Lisa was making some odd breathing noises.
She was found the following morning lying face-up in a shower and had difficulty opening her eyes.
Lisa was taken to a clinic where a doctor found that her brain had swollen.
She was then flown to Singapore General Hospital where she was diagnosed as suffering from high altitude cerebral oedema – an accumulation of fluid on the brain caused by extreme altitude sickness.
The final cause of death at the inquest was given as hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy, caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain.
Her family gave the go ahead to have extensive transplant surgery so that other could live as a result.
Lisa’s parents Dennis and Sharon, brother Jonathan and sister Shannon, al travelled to the hospital to be with Lisa in her final hours.
Dad Dennis said he knew when he arrived at the hospital that things were not good.
“I knew by Lisa, I opened her eyelid and her eyes were empty. I knew there was nothing there.
“I want it in my had and in my heart that Lisa’s heart is beating somewhere on this planet, it’s not important where.
“It’s important to me that the person is having a good life, a happy life and a fulfilling life with Lisa’s heart.
“The organ donations don’t help the grieving process. But it moves it on slightly,” he said.
Tags: